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Ken Harrelson

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Ken Harrelson
Harrelson atU.S. Cellular Fieldin 2010
First baseman/Right fielder
Born:(1941-09-04)September 4, 1941(age 82)
Woodruff, South Carolina,U.S.
Batted:Right
Threw:Right
MLB debut
June 9, 1963, for the Kansas City Athletics
Last MLB appearance
June 20, 1971, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average.239
Home runs131
Runs batted in421
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Kenneth Smith Harrelson(born September 4, 1941), nicknamed "the Hawk"due to his distinctive profile, is an American former professionalbaseballplayer and television announcer. He played inMajor League Baseball(MLB) from 1963 to 1971 as afirst basemanandoutfielder,and he subsequently spent 33 years as a play-by-playbroadcastannouncer for theChicago White Sox.In December 2019, Harrelson was named the2020recipient of theFord C. Frick Award,presented annually to one broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball".

Early life

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Harrelson was born inWoodruff, South Carolina,and his family moved toSavannah, Georgia,when he was in fifth grade. As a child Harrelson was interested inbasketballand he hoped to pursue a basketball scholarship from theUniversity of Kentucky.His parents divorced when he was eight.[1]

He played golf, baseball, football and basketball atBenedictine Military Schoolin Savannah, Georgia.

Playing career

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Harrelson as a member of the Kansas City Athletics in 1965.

Throwing and batting right-handed, Harrelson played for four teams: theKansas City Athletics(1963–66, 1967),Washington Senators(1966–67),Boston Red Sox(1967–69), andCleveland Indians(1969–71). In his nine-season career, Harrelson was a.239 hitter with 131home runsand 421RBIin 900games.

His time with the Athletics in1967ended abruptly after only 61 games, when Harrelson was quoted in a Washington newspaper calling team ownerCharlie Finley"a menace to baseball" following the dismissal of managerAlvin Dark.Although Harrelson denied using the word "menace", he was released and ended up signing a lucrative deal with theBoston Red Sox,who were in contention to win their first pennant since1946.[2]

Brought in to replace the injuredTony Conigliaro,Harrelson helped the team win the pennant, but watched the team drop theWorld Seriesto the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. However, in1968,he had his finest season, making theAmerican League All-Starteam, hitting a career-high 35 home runs, and leading the major leagues inruns batted inwith 109. He also finished third in the American League Most Valuable Player balloting, with two players from the pennant-winningDetroit Tigersfinishing ahead of him—pitcherDenny McLainwon the award and catcherBill Freehanfinished second.

Harrelson announced his retirement the day after he was traded along withDick EllsworthandJuan Pizarrofrom the Red Sox to the Indians forSonny Siebert,Vicente RomoandJoe Azcueon April 19,1969.He had felt that his business ventures made it impractical for him to move to any other city. His agentBob Woolfadded, "If Ken left Boston, he'd be losing between half a million and three quarter of a million dollars."[3]Following conversations with commissionerBowie Kuhnand a contract adjustment by Cleveland, Harrelson ended his first retirement a few days later. He went 2-for-4, including atriplein the first plate appearance of his Indians debut, an 11–3 loss to theNew York YankeesatCleveland Stadiumon April 24.[4]He finished the year with 30 home runs and a career-high 99 walks. He also used his local celebrity status to briefly host a half-hour TV show,The Hawk's Nest,on localCBSaffiliateWJW-TV.Harrelson was very popular in Cleveland, with his autobiography coming out around the time of the trade to the Indians.

During spring training the following year, Harrelson suffered a broken leg while sliding into second base during a March 19 exhibition game against theOakland Athletics.The injury kept him on the sidelines for much of the season. When Indians rookieChris Chamblisstook over the first base position in1971,Harrelson retired mid-season to pursue a professional golf career.

Batting glove usage

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Harrelson has been credited with being the first player to wear abatting glovein an actual game (as opposed to usage duringbatting practice).[5]However, Peter Morris' bookA Game of Inchessays the batting glove may have been used as early as 1901 byHughie Jennings,and was definitely used byLefty O'DoulandJohnny Frederickof the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932, and later byBobby Thomsonin the 1950s.[6]Morris does credit Harrelson with reintroducing and popularizing the batting glove in the 1960s.Roger Marisalso used what was thought[by whom?]to be a batting glove, most likely a golf glove, in the 1961 season.[citation needed]

Broadcasting career

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Harrelson began a broadcasting career in 1975 with theBoston Red SoxonWSBK-TV,partnering withDick Stockton.[7]He became highly popular, especially after being teamed with veteranplay-by-playmanNed Martinin 1979. Harrelson left after the 1981 season, moving to a broadcasting role with theChicago White Sox;Harrelson noted that he and Red Sox co-ownerHaywood Sullivan"didn't get along".[8]Harrelson served as a White Sox announcer from 1982 to 1985.

Executive role with White Sox

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On October 2, 1985, Harrelson was named executive vice president of baseball operations for the White Sox.[9]Then-general managerof the White SoxRoland Hemondwas given a special assistant role, and left the team in April 1986, leaving Harrelson as the de facto general manager,[10]untilTom Hallerwas hired as the team's new general manager in early June 1986. Haller would have disagreements with Harrelson and leave at the end of the season.[11][12]During June 1986, Harrelson fired assistant general managerDave Dombrowski[13](who became baseball's youngest general manager with the Montreal Expos two years later) and fired managerTony La Russa[14](who was soon hired by theOakland Athletics). Harrelson also traded rookieBobby Bonilla,later a six-time All-Star, to thePittsburgh Piratesfor pitcherJosé DeLeónin July 1986.[15]Harrelson resigned his executive role with the White Sox on September 26, 1986, approximately one week before the end of the regular season.[16]The1986 Chicago White Soxfinished the season with a record of 72–90, 20games behindthe division-winningCalifornia Angels.[17]

Return to broadcasting

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During the 1987 and 1988 seasons, Harrelson was the play-by-play announcer forNew York Yankeesgames onSportsChannel New York.[7]From 1984 to 1989, he served as a backup color commentator onNBC'sGame of the Weekbroadcasts alongside play-by-play manJay Randolph.In 1994, Harrelson served as a broadcaster for the short-livedBaseball Networkand was the US broadcaster for theJapan Seriesthat aired through the Prime-SportsChannel regional networks.[7]

Harrelson in the broadcast booth in 2007

Harrelson returned to the White Sox in 1990 as the main play-by-play announcer during television broadcasts, teaming up withTom Paciorekuntil 2000 andDarrin Jacksonfrom 2000 to 2008. In 2009, formerChicago Cubscolor analystSteve Stonebegan accompanying Harrelson in the television booth. During this time he won five Emmy Awards and two Illinois Sportscaster of the Year awards.[18]However, in 2010,GQmagazine named Harrelson the worst broadcaster in baseball.[19]

Starting with the 2016 season, Harrelson cut back his schedule to road games and select home games.Jason Benettitook over as the television announcer for most home games.[20]On May 31, 2017, Harrelson announced his final year in the broadcast booth would be the 2018 season.[21]After calling his final game, a 6–1 loss to the crosstown rival Chicago Cubs, Harrelson officially retired from broadcasting on September 24, 2018.

On December 11, 2019, Harrelson was named the2020recipient of theFord C. Frick Award,presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.[22]

Catch phrases, criticism and nicknames

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Harrelson is known for his homerism (open expression of pro-home team bias) and catch phrases, also known as "Hawkisms". Popular "Hawkisms" include: "You can put it on the board! Yes! Yes! A bomb for (insert player here)" after a Sox home run, "He gone!" and/or "Grab some bench!" after a strikeout of an opposing player, and "Stretch!" when a White Sox player hits a ball toward the outfield fence. Hawk often states "Sacks packed with Sox" when the bases are loaded.[23]

When a telecast begins, Hawk states, "Sit back. Relax and strap it down" to the viewers, right before commercial break before the first pitch. Harrelson refers to the White Sox as "the good guys" (based on the team's mid-1990s sloganGood Guys Wear Black). When a White Sox player hits a ball which appears to be heading foul, Harrelson often states "Stay fair!" Hawk will state "Dadgummit" when a ball that looks to be a home run is caught short of the wall or in general when a play does not go the White Sox's way. When a hitter hits a long foul ball that would have been a home run if it were fair, Hawk will say "right size, wrong shape." If a White Sox hitter makes good contact, but the ball is hit where a fielder can make the out, Hawk says, "That's a hang with-em." For a time, Hawk often stated "Hell yes!" after an advantageous event for the White Sox. While he insists that exclaiming "Hell yes!" is not contrived and is a product of his devotion to the White Sox, it has generated some controversy.[24]

He is also known for shouting out "Mercy!" after a great defensive play is executed by a player or players and sometimes, when it is an exceptionally great play, or the play does not go the White Sox's way, he will also exclaim "You gotta be...bleeping me!" When a batter swings and misses he will proclaim, "Big hack, no contact." Harrelson refers to a routine flyball as a "can of corn." Hawk also calls bloop hits that land between fielders, "duck snorts." He refers to a two-hop infield ground ball as a "chopper-two-hopper." He calls a hard-hit ground ball that takes a favorable bounce for the fielder a "Bolingbrook Bounce." He refers to any play with a broken bat as a "Matt Abbatacola." Matt Abbatacola is a local sports radio show host and producer for AM 670 TheScore, which carries the White Sox radio broadcasts. The two met during spring training a few years ago, and Hawk decided to use his name during broken bat plays because of the distinctiveness and sound of his name. When a White Sox rally starts, Hawk Harrelson will often enthusiastically say, "Don't stop now boys." In July 2010,GQnamed Harrelson the worst announcer in baseball. He has stated publicly that he wants to die in the booth during a game and that he will never retire.[23][25]

Though Harrelson has been criticized for his repeated use of catch phrases and hometown allegiances,[26]his popularity with White Sox fans is demonstrable. Harrelson was nominated for the2007 Ford C. Frick award(won by Royals announcerDenny Matthews), and his presence in the field of nominees for that award was due to the support of fans, who placed him in nomination (along withCincinnati RedsannouncerJoe Nuxhalland San Francisco/Oakland announcerBill King) via an online vote.[27]

Hawk is also well known for his fierce on-air criticisms of umpires. Harrelson appears to have developed a dislike of umpireJoe West,who "in the past few years, has had some problems with the White Sox."[28]West had started a game the night before, but called it due to rain after about a half inning of play. In a game earlier that year, West had ejectedOzzie GuillénandMark Buehrlefor two separate balks in the same game. Hawk said on a broadcast in 2015, "The first rule of baseball is catch the baseball and the second rule is don't mess with Joe West."[29][30]

Following an on-air outburst about umpireMark Wegnerduring a game on May 30, 2012, Harrelson received a reprimand from MLB commissionerBud Selig.Harrelson's comments followed Wegner's ejection of White Sox rookie pitcherJosé Quintanaafter Quintana threw a pitch behindBen Zobrist.After White Sox managerRobin Ventura's ejection for arguing the call, Harrelson commented: "I'll tell you what, they have got to start making guys be accountable. That is totally absurd. Here's an umpire in theAmerican Leaguethat knows nothing about the game of baseball. They have got to do something about this. They have got some guys in this league that have no business umpiring. They have no business umpiring because they don't know what the game of baseball is about, and he is one of them. "Although Harrelson said that such a tirade would not happen again, later in the same season, he lashed out at umpireLance Barrettfollowing the ejections ofA. J. Pierzynskiand Robin Ventura. Harrelson stated that "Lance Barrett has just stunk the joint up is all he's done. That's all he's done." He also claimed that "Everything that (Mariners pitcher)Blake Beavanhas thrown up there that (catcher Miguel)Olivohas caught has been a strike. If he caught it, it was a strike. He's got two different strike zones. He's got a two-foot for Beavan, and he's got a 10-inch for the White Sox. What does that tell you? "[31]

A year later he had another outburst umpire tirade, this time over an alleged blown call in the bottom of the tenth against theMiami Marlins,whenAngel HernandezcalledAlex Riosout at first base, turning what would have been a game-winning bases-loaded ground ball fielder's choice for the White Sox into an inning-ending double play. His reaction was, "And another blown call byHernandez!"[32]

Harrelson's emotive and particularly distinctive call ofMark Buehrle'sperfect gameon July 23, 2009, was also notable. As Buehrle exited the field after the eighth inning, he exclaimed, "Call your sons! Call your daughters! Call your friends! Call your neighbors! Mark Buehrle has a perfect game going into the ninth!" Also, as the final ground ball of the game rolled towards the White Sox shortstopAlexei Ramírez,Harrelson called out "Alexei?!" (Harrelson often refers to the White Sox players by their first names.) As Ramirez completed the throw to the first basemanJosh Fields,Harrelson shouted "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! History!"[33]

Though some did not like Harrelson's lack of verbosity and obvious hometown boosterism at the concluding moment of the game,[34]others felt the outburst of emotion captured exactly what they were feeling as the perfect game was sealed.[35]AChicago Tribunecolumnist, Phil Rosenthal, arguing that each perfect game call is "memorable in its own way", made an explicit comparison of Harrelson's call toVin Scully's call ofSandy Koufax's perfect game.[36]

Harrelson had a 30-minute special onCSN Chicago,Put it on The Boardwhich aired on Monday, June 7, 2010 celebrating his 25 years as a Chicago White Sox broadcaster with memorable footage, memorable quotes and an interview with CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien. Ken said during the interview, "I hope to be broadcasting for the White Sox until I die." He joked and said how he was going to die: in the White Sox broadcasting booth with his last words, "You can put it on the booooard... (dies without finishing)" Harrelson was honored with "Hawk Harrelson Night" by the Chicago White Sox for 25 years of broadcasting that was on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 vs. Detroit Tigers. The White Sox had a T-shirt giveaway for Harrelson for the first 10,000 fans that came to the game. The T-shirt has the White Sox logo on the front and in big letters on the back "Hawkism" with his famous catch phrases on the back. Harrelson also threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game to White Sox managerOzzie Guillén.

As a man long-known for creating nicknames, his own nickname "Hawk" originated during his early playing days. Teammates began calling him "Hawk" due to his curvy, pointy nose. Harrelson coined many nicknames for popular Sox players, including"Black Jack" McDowell,Carlos "El Caballo" Lee,Lance "One Dog" Johnson,Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas,Craig "Little Hurt" Grebeck,"The Deacon" Warren Newson,"Big Bad" Bobby Jenks,"The Silent Assassin" Javier Vázquez,Herbert "the Milkman" Perry,Jake "The Jake-Meister" Peavy,Dayán "The Tank" Viciedo,Willie "Peapod" Harris,Paul "The Professor" KonerkoandMagglio "Maggs" Ordóñez,along with fan favorite "Big Dick"Richard Dotson.During a broadcast, Harrelson attempted to nickname partner Darrin Jackson "The Squirrel" because of the quantity of peanuts his partner ate, to which Jackson replied, "No." He calls his current partner Steve Stone "Stone Pony." It is unclear if that nickname is a reference to thepopular music venueor the Linda Ronstadt band, theStone Poneys.Recently, he began calling White Sox sluggerAdam Dunn"Biggin". "Biggin" is a Southern slang term for large people, which reflects Hawk's Deep South roots. Dunn is 6'6 "and 285 pounds. More recently, Harrelson has been referring toJosé Abreuas El Cañon or "The Cannon." Although not a nickname, during the time whenGreg Nortonplayed for theChicago White Soxbetween 1996 and 2000, Harrelson would add the line "Norton, You're The Greatest" after "You can put it on the board! Yes! Yes!" when Norton hit a home run. This was a mashup of two references from the sitcomThe Honeymooners:one character was named Edward "Ed" Lillywhite Norton, and another character, Ralph Kramden, would say to his wife, Alice, "Baby, you're the greatest."

An informal study by one baseball columnist, based on the number of home-team "biased" comments throughout the course of a game, concluded that Harrelson was by a wide margin the broadcaster who openly rooted for his team the most often. He embraced the results, responding, "That's the biggest compliment you could give me, to call me the biggest homer in baseball."[37]

Personal life

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While he was still in high school, Harrelson met his first wife, Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Pacifici, whom he would marry that year. The marriage produced four children (Patricia, Michael, Richard, and John), and three grandchildren (Nikole, Ryan and Kiefer) and one great-grandson, Jack. Harrelson filed for divorce from Betty on June 28, 1971.[38]

In 1970, Harrelson was part-owner of a $2 million waterfront nightclub inEast Bostoncalled the 1800 Club. A three-quarter sized replica of Donald McKay's clipper shipFlying Cloudwas docked next to the club and was used as a floating cocktail lounge. The location offered superb views of Boston Harbor and the downtown skyline. The complex was severely damaged by fire on January 20, 1971, and never re-opened.[39]

After retiring from baseball, Harrelson competed in the1972 British Open.He missed the cut by 1 stroke, shooting +11.[40]

On September 13, 1973, Harrelson married Aris Harritos.[41]They have two children, daughter Krista and son Casey, as well as two grandchildren, Nico and Alexander. Harrelson's son Casey played in the White Sox minor league system in 1999. The family resides inOrlando, Florida.

Harrelson resided inGranger, Indianaduring baseball seasons, and would often discuss the long commute from his home toGuaranteed Rate Fieldduring broadcasts.[42]

Namesakes

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See also

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References

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Notes
  1. ^"Ken Harrelson".Historic Baseball.RetrievedApril 21,2007.
  2. ^* John E Peterson, "The Kansas City Athletics - A Baseball History," McFarland and Company, 2003. (Chapter 26)
  3. ^Eldridge, Larry. "Ken Harrelson Retires Rather Than Leave Boston,"The Associated Press(AP), Monday, April 21, 1969. Retrieved June 9, 2020
  4. ^"Harrelson No Deterrent,"The Associated Press(AP), Friday, April 25, 1969.Retrieved June 9, 2020
  5. ^Dickson, Paul (1989).The Dickson Baseball Dictionary.New York: FactsOnFile Publishing. p.8.ISBN0816017417.
  6. ^Wiles, Tim."FITS LIKE A GLOVE".baseballhall.org.National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.RetrievedNovember 26,2022.
  7. ^abc"Ken" Hawk "Harrelson".WGNTV. Archived fromthe originalon February 11, 2007.RetrievedApril 19,2007.
  8. ^"Unhappy Hawk flies to White Sox job".The Boston Globe.AP.November 24, 1981. p. 10.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  9. ^"'Hawk' put in charge in White Sox shakeup ".The Dispatch.Moline, Illinois.UPI.October 3, 1985. p. 33.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  10. ^"Hemond resigns from Sox".The Pantagraph.Bloomington, Illinois.AP.April 30, 1986. p. 18.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  11. ^"Tom Haller – Society for American Baseball Research".
  12. ^"Haller joins White Sox".Telegraph Herald.Dubuque, Iowa:Woodward Communications Inc. United Press International. June 10, 1986. p. 15.RetrievedOctober 31,2011.
  13. ^Jauss, Bill (June 6, 1986)."Harrelson fires aide Dombrowski".Chicago Tribune.p. 59.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  14. ^"LaRussa fired; Fregosi heads list of replacements".Times-Press.Streator, Illinois.UPI.June 21, 1986.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  15. ^Sherman, Ed (July 25, 1986)."Trade recharges downcast DeLeon".Chicago Tribune.p. 43.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  16. ^"Harrelson decides White Sox are better off without him".St. Petersburg Times.St. Petersburg, Florida.AP.September 27, 1986. p. 4C.RetrievedDecember 11,2019– via newspapers.
  17. ^"The 1986 Season".Retrosheet.RetrievedDecember 11,2019.
  18. ^"Broadcasters: Ken Harrelson".MLB Advanced Media. Archived fromthe originalon August 6, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 9,2008.
  19. ^Kohan, Rafi (May 5, 2011)."Juuuuust A Bit Outside: The Best (and Worst) from MLB's Broadcast Booths".GQ.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
  20. ^"White Sox name new TV announcer to sub for Hawk Harrelson".Chicago Tribune.January 12, 2016.RetrievedJanuary 13,2016.
  21. ^R. J. Anderson (May 31, 2017)."Legendary White Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson to retire after 2018 MLB season".CBSSports.RetrievedJune 1,2017.
  22. ^"Ken Harrelson Named 2020 Ford C. Frick Award Winner".National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.December 11, 2019.RetrievedDecember 11,2019.
  23. ^ab"The SportsCenter Altar / Phrase Listing".SportsCenterAltar. July 23, 2009.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
  24. ^"Chicago – Chicago: News: Politics: Things To Do: Sports".Chicago Sun-Times.Archived fromthe originalon July 16, 2009.
  25. ^"Hawk Harrelson talks Sox past, future".DailyHerald. November 5, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  26. ^"Best and Worst MLB Announcers".Docsports. May 14, 2010.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  27. ^"Matthews a Frick Award finalist".MLB.June 19, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon February 18, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  28. ^Duber, Vinnie (May 26, 2021)."Joe West's Sox run-ins exist alongside record-setting night".nbcsports.NBC Sports Chicago LLC.RetrievedNovember 19,2022.
  29. ^Rosenthal, Phil (May 25, 2021)."Hawk Harrelson praises Joe West on his umpiring record".chicagotribune.Tribune Media.RetrievedNovember 19,2022.
  30. ^"Joe West Sets MLB Record for Most Games as an Umpire".lastcallsports.RetrievedNovember 19,2022.
  31. ^Powers, Scott.Ken Harrelson again critical of umps.ESPNChicago.Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  32. ^Howard, Greg (May 25, 2013)."Hawk Completely Melts Down About This Blown Double Play Call".Deadspin.RetrievedJune 1,2017.
  33. ^"Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | TB@CWS: Buehrle induces grounder to seal perfect game – Video | MLB: Multimedia".MLB.June 19, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  34. ^"MLB Babble".MLB Babble. May 15, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  35. ^'Duk (July 23, 2009)."Ten reasons we're going nuts over Mark Buehrle's perfect game – Big League Stew – MLB Blog – Yahoo! Sports".Sports.yahoo.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  36. ^"Two descriptions of historic perfection, '09 Harrelson vs. '65 Scully".Chicago Tribune.July 23, 2009.
  37. ^Solomon, Jared (September 24, 2012)."How Biased Is Your Baseball Announcer? Ken" Hawk "Harrelson Leads the Way".The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedSeptember 25,2012.
  38. ^"Harrelson Sues for Divorce." Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 29, 1971.
  39. ^Ken Harrelson's 1800 Clubat CelebrateBoston
  40. ^"Results for British Open in 1972".Databasegolf.RetrievedSeptember 1,2012.
  41. ^White, Laura. "Harrelson's Life Style Changed; Laura Finds 'The Hawk' Still a Rare Bird."Boston Herald American,September 7, 1973.
  42. ^Keagle, Lauri Harvey (April 18, 2011)."At Home with the Hawk".NWITimes.RetrievedJune 1,2017.
  43. ^Bill Moor, "Moor or Less: Sports Legends and Current Thoughts," South Bend Tribune, April 19, 2020
Bibliography
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