Catfish Hunter

James Augustus "Catfish" Hunter (April 8, 1946 – September 9, 1999) was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1965 to 1979, he pitched for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees. Born the youngest of eight children in Hertford, in northeast North Carolina, Hunter was raised on a farm and excelled in a variety of sports at Perquimans County High School, where he played linebacker and offensive tackle in football.

Over his fifteen-year career, Hunter was a member of five World Series championship teams. He remains the only pitcher since 1915 to win 200 games by age 31. He is often referred to as baseball's first big-money free agent. Persistent arm problems led him to retire after the 1979 season at age 33.

Hunter was married to Helen Hunter, and they had three children. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987. In his early 50s he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and died of the disease about a year after his diagnosis. Hunter has been the subject of numerous popular culture references, including the Bob Dylan song "Catfish."