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Ted Williams Facts & Worksheets

Ted Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960

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Theodore Samuel Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball career at the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960.

See the fact file below for more information on Ted Williams or alternatively, you can download our 27-page Ted Williams worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Theodore Samuel Williams was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1918.
  • Samuel Williams, his father, was a sheriff, a soldier, and a photographer; May Venzor, his mother, was an evangelist and a devoted soldier at the Salvation Army.
  • He attended Herbert Hoover High School in his adolescent years, where he joined the baseball team and earned the position of the pitcher; he was recognized as the team’s standout.
  • As a result of his talent, Ted attracted offers from the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees while still in high school.
  • His mother, however, believed he was still too young to leave home, so he signed with the San Diego Padres, a local minor league team.
  • He had a .271 hitting average while playing for the San Diego Padres in 1936, which drew the attention of Boston Red Sox manager, Eddie Collins. In 1937, Ted Williams led the San Diego Padres to victory, hitting .291 with 23 home runs.

MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER

  • Ted Williams was scouted as a Boston Red Sox player in 1939, with the assistance of San Diego Padres manager, Bill Lane.
  • Two years later, he made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees. He hit .327 by the end of the season, earning him the title of ‘Rookie of the Year.‘
  • The Boston Red Sox faced the Chicago White Sox, and Ted Williams hit one of the game’s longest home runs in the 11th inning, leading the team to victory in 1941.
  • He won the Triple Crown in 1942, with a .356 batting average, 36 home runs, and on May 21, he scored his 100th run in baseball.
  • At the outbreak of WWII, he was a Naval aviator for the United States Marine Corps. That same year, he also played baseball in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with teammate Johnny Pesky.
  • During the time of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Ted was assigned to the Army League, for whom he played baseball, in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. 
  • He was discharged from the United States Marine Corps the following year and returned to the Red Sox team, leading the American League to a 12-0 victory.
  • In 1948, he hit .369 with 25 home runs in April. In 1949, he set a record for the most home runs hit by a Red Sox player.
  • He played 148 games and hit 30 home runs in 1951, and in May of that year, he hit his 300th home run of his major league career. He served in the Korean War the following year.
  • In 1956, he hit his 400th home run, becoming the fifth player in baseball history to do so. 
  • In the two years that followed, he had batting averages of .388 and .328, respectively.
  • From 1939 to 1960, he spent his Major League Baseball career for 19 years mainly as a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox.
  • He retired in 1960 and went on to become manager of the Washington Senators.
  • Ted Williams was known by the nicknames “Teddy Ballgame,” “The Kid,” “The Splendid Splinter,” and “The Thumper.”

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Ted is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and is the last player to hit over .400 in a season.
  • Eventually, he was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1954 by the San Diego Hall of Champions, which honors San Diego’s best athletes on and off the field.
  • He was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
  • President George H. W. Bush presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.
  • Ted Williams ranked eighth on “The Sporting News” list of the “100 Greatest Baseball Players” in 1999.
  • Williams was one of 37 Baseball Hall of Fame delegates acknowledged in 2013 with the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award for his service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.
  • As to Military service, he once stated:

“It’s a funny thing, but, as years go by, I think you appreciate more and more what a great thing it was to be a United States Marine… People will tell me what a shame it was I had to go back into the service a second time, but I’m kinda glad I did.. Besides, I am a U.S. Marine and I’ll be one till I die.”

LEGACY AND LATER LIFE

  • A tunnel connecting South Boston and Logan Airport was built in 1991 and named the Ted Williams Tunnel.

“Did they tell me how to pitch to (Ted) Williams? Sure they did. It was great advice, and very encouraging. They said he had no weakness, won’t swing at a bad ball, has the best eyes in the business, and can kill you with one swing. He won’t hit anything bad but don’t give him anything good.”

Bobby Shantz on Ted Williams
  • Despite his cold exterior, Ted was known as a warm-hearted person who raised over two million dollars for the Jimmy Fund and visited sick children in the hospital in between games.
  • The Ted Williams Museum, previously located in Hernando, Florida, was relocated to Tropicana Field, home field of the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • According to the Tampa Bay Rays website, The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame is where fans can visualize a variety of diverse exhibits and illustrations of the ‘Greatest hitter that ever lived.’
  • Ted Williams married three times, each time, the marriages failed, until he found his life-long partner and settled with Louise Kaufman. 
  • They were together for 20 years before she died in 1993.
  • Ted later enjoyed bowling, golf, and card games. Ted was the most enthusiastic supporter of his grandchildren’s sporting events. He also thoroughly enjoyed coaching his son’s and daughter’s basketball teams.
  • Williams suffered from cardiomyopathy in his later years. He had a pacemaker implanted in November 2000 and underwent open-heart surgery in January 2001.
  • Ted Williams died on July 5, 2002, in Citrus Hills, Florida, at the age of 83, after suffering from congestive heart failure.

Ted Williams Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Ted Williams across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Ted Williams who was an American professional baseball player and manager who played for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ted Williams Facts
  • Ted’s Sport
  • The Boston Red Sox
  • “Teddy Ballgame”
  • Player Profile
  • Playing the Role
  • Military Service
  • Ted Plays
  • Ted Arts
  • The Legends
  • My Motivation

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Ted Williams get into professional baseball?

Ted Williams was scouted as a Boston Red Sox player in 1939, with the assistance of San Diego Padres manager, Bill Lane. Two years later, he made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees. He hit .327 by the end of the season, earning him the title of ‘Rookie of the Year.’ The Boston Red Sox faced the Chicago White Sox, and Ted Williams hit one of the game’s longest home runs in the 11th inning, leading the team to victory in 1941.

What is Ted Williams famous for?

Ted is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and is the last player to hit over .400 in a season. Eventually, he was inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1954 by the San Diego Hall of Champions, which honors San Diego’s best athletes on and off the field. He was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. President George H. W. Bush presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.

What was Ted Williams’ lifetime batting average?

In 1956, he hit his 400th home run, becoming the fifth player in baseball history to do so. In the two years that followed, he had batting averages of .388 and .328, respectively.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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