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On November 1, 1946 — Surgeons amputate the right foot of Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck. Two years before, the colorful executive had suffered a serious injury to his leg in the South Pacific during World War II.
May 3, 2019 · He hobbled on a wooden leg—the result of a World War II wound—but loved to dance exuberantly. He refused to wear ties and preferred a cheap seat in the bleachers, even when he owned the stadium. He was baseball’s resident intellectual and most gleefully vulgar self-promoter.
Over the course of his life he had 36 operations on the leg. [3] He had a series of wooden legs and, as an inveterate smoker, cut holes in them to use as ashtrays. Veeck also used the wooden leg in props such as a recreation of iconic Revolutionary War soldiers during the Bicentennial year of 1976.
Veeck suffered painful injuries during the Pacific War that would eventually cost him his leg. In 1943, at the age of 29, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and asked to be sent to a war zone. After basic training, he was shipped to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, but he still played a role with the team by using war correspondents to get his ...
After a stint in the Marines in World War II, during which he lost his right leg, Veeck sought a path into the major leagues. Devising a debenture-stock group that enabled financial backers to put the majority of their money into loans for the team, Veeck was able to become a minority owner of the Cleveland Indians for $268,000 in 1946.
An accident cost him his right foot and, even after 36 operations over the rest of his life, his leg as well. Before entering the military, Veeck secured backing to buy the Philadelphia...
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After serving three years in World War II—where he lost his right leg in an accident—Veeck led a group that included comedian Bob Hope and bought the Indians for $1.6 million in 1946. His showmanship continued in Cleveland, spiking each game with some sort of attraction beyond the pairing of two baseball teams.
