Today I am celebrating the original Seattle Mariner… Ruppert Jones.
After coming up with the Royals, Ruppert was the first pick in the 1976 expansion draft by Seattle. Jones’ power and range in center field immediately made him a fan favorite in Seattle. He was batting .256 with seventeen home runs and fifty RBIs at the All-Star break to be named the first ever All-Star representative of the club at the 1977 All Star game at Yankee Stadium.
Ruppert recently published a book detailing his career and struggle with a traumatic brain injury. I am looking forward to reading.
Ruppert Jones is an eleven-year Major League Baseball veteran, a two-time MLB All-Star outfielder, and a World Series Champion. He came from nothing to fulfill his dream of playing Major League Baseball. He battled injuries throughout his career but repeatedly bounced back stronger. In 1980, Ruppert collided with the outfield wall while chasing down a fly ball. The result was a traumatic brain injury that went undiagnosed for over 30 years, during which his personality slowly changed. He turned to drugs and alcohol. He flirted with suicide. His life spiraled out of control, and he lost his family and friends, but he never gave up. Ruppert’s story is about a search for answers during a time when there were no answers. Ruppert’s story is more common today than ever, though now the effects of traumatic brain injuries and CTE are well known, and athletes are doing everything possible to prevent head injuries. The story of Ruppert Jones is not just an athlete memoir – it’s a story intended to help those who have suffered a similar fate and don’t understand what’s happening to them.
Ruppert is also a PASTPROS athlete, meaning you can easily send him items to be signed and returned. I am going to send him a couple of these new cards to get signed.