The Villages Daily Sun

Editor’s Note: Ed Harrison, now 71, is a former South Florida real estate and mortgage broker who parlayed that experience and a native talent for marketing into a hugely successful athletic trophy business. A member of the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame, Harrison retired to The Villages in 2003.

But in 1959, Harrison was a struggling 24-year-old UM graduate, newly signed by the Cleveland Indians, and determined to make his mark in the major leagues.

From his home in the Village of Piedmont, he talked about his experiences.

Q: What made you think you could play professional baseball?

A: Well, I always had a feeling inside growing up that I would play. I lettered in football and baseball in high school and managed to get a baseball scholarship to UM.

Q: Why go to college? Didn’t a lot of prospects go into pro ball straight from high school?

A: Some did. But there was no draft in those days and I wanted the education since I knew that most guys never made the minor leagues, let alone the majors.

Q: What position did you play?

A: I was an outfielder, I hit left-handed and in those days I guess I was about 5 feet, 10 inches and weighed about 165.

Q: What kind of program did they have at Miami?

A: It wasn’t much. I never had a coach in either high school or college who really taught me anything. Mostly, they said, “You’ve got the talent, just go out and do your thing.” There was no real instruction.

Q: They taught you nothing?

A: Not a lot, but the main advantage of being there was that we always played Florida State and Rollins — and those were the two best programs in the state back then. Also, there were some incredible people at Miami in those days. During my sophomore and junior years, Jimmie Foxx was our coach.

Q: The Hall of Famer?

A: You bet. He was always chewing on a cigar and every once in a while he’d even get into the batter’s box and start hitting. He had to be in his 60s by then but he could still rip it.

Q: What do you remember best from your time with the Hurricanes?

A: I guess my best playing memory would be the grand slam I hit against Stetson as a junior. It was the first one in school history. Also, I made the all-conference team in my final year.

Q: How did the Indians hear about you?

A: Their scout saw me in a game at Rollins when I hit a home run over the center-field fence. Later in the game, I went back and made a good catch, then turned and threw out the runner at second. I guess that impressed him.

Q: How could you tell?

A: As soon as I graduated, he called me to see if I wanted to play pro ball and followed that up with a letter.

Q: What were they paying back then?

A: They gave me $450 per month and I was in hog heaven. I couldn’t believe anyone would pay me that much to play a game I loved.

Q: So you were doing pretty well?

A: I thought so at the time, but then I found out that one guy who couldn’t even make our amateur team in Miami got $5,000 to sign.

Q: Did you get a bonus?

A: No. The scout told me he hadn’t seen me play enough, so I wouldn’t get one.

Q: What team did they assign you to?

A: My contract was to play with the Reading Indians. They were a Class A team in the Eastern League. But I never made it there.

Q: What happened?

A: Well, all Cleveland’s minor league teams had spring training at Daytona. I was in the on-deck circle waiting to hit when one of the guys from the Reading club walked by and hit me in the left shoulder with a lead bat. He said it was an accident, but I’ve always thought otherwise. I mean, I was his competition, and in those days once you got hurt, they didn’t keep you around. That laid me up for a couple of days and I wasn’t ready to go when they broke camp.

Q: So they cut you?

A: Not right then. They sent me to their Class D team at Selma, Ala. But there were no rehab programs like they have today. They put me with a bunch of guys who’d played rookie ball. They just hoped you’d get better on your own.

Q: What kind of shape were you in when you got there?

A: I was getting better and feeling good. I was hitting the ball pretty well, I thought, and in the starting outfield lineup. I even made the All-Star team.

Q: What happened then?

A: About a week later, I made a throw from the outfield and felt something strange in my back. The next morning, when I got up, I couldn’t bend over and tie my shoes. I was actually having trouble breathing.

Q: How long did this last?

A: For several weeks. And they had zero patience. For guys they hadn’t paid a bonus to, there was no investment to protect. So they just sent you home.

Q: Did you ever think about giving baseball another try?

A: No, they told me I was too old at 24 and I thought I should get on with my life. They had high school kids who were 17 and they figured that those kids would be better in seven years than I was right then.

Q: What advice do you have for today’s players?

A: Follow your dream. Don’t let anything or anyone get in the way. Do absolutely everything you can to achieve your goal.