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Updated
2/10/2007 8:04 PM PT
Eddie Feigner, the hard-throwing softball showman who
barnstormed for more than 50 years with "The King
and His Court" four-man team, died Friday. He was
81.
Feigner, the former Marine known for his trademark crewcut
and bulging right arm, died in Huntsville, Ala., from
a respiratory ailment related to dementia, wife Anne
Marie Feigner said Friday night.
With
a fastball once clocked at 104 mph, The King threw 930
no-hitters, 238 perfect games and struck out 141,517
batters while playing more than 10,000 games. He was
inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame
in 2000.
A stroke
in 2000 — a day after he threw out the first pitch
before the women's softball competition in the Sydney
Olympics — ended his playing career at age 75.
He left the team for medical reasons last summer, and
lived in Trenton, Tenn., for the last several years
until recently moving to Huntsville.
Feigner,
who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War
II, visited more than 300 military installations around
the world during his long career, including a stop in
Cuba last summer.
Feigner
not only pitched from the standard mound, 46 feet from
home plate, but also from second base, behind his back,
on his knees, between his legs, from center field and
blindfolded. In a nationally televised exhibition against
major leaguers at Dodger Stadium in 1964, he struck
out Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills, Harmon
Killebrew, Roberto Clemente and Brooks Robinson in order.
Feigner
began "The King and His Court" in 1946 on
a dare in his hometown of Walla Walla, Wash. He had
just thrown a shutout in his nine-man team's rout of
a team from Pendleton, Ore., and the Oregon team challenged
him to another game. Backed by just a catcher, first
baseman and shortstop, Feigner pitched a perfect game,
winning 7-0.
At
the height of Feigner's popularity, the team played
at major league ballparks, including Yankee Stadium,
and he appeared on numerous national television shows,
including The Today Show, I've Got a Secret, What's
My Line? and CBS Sports Spectacular. On the Tonight
Show, he pitched blindfolded to Johnny Carson, who loosely
held a bat over a home plate. Feigner hit Carson's bat
on his first pitch.
"On
the field, a master showman, brilliant pitcher, creator
of the most popular softball attraction in history,"
said Jack Knight, a longtime friend and teammate. "And
off the field, one tough son of a gun. He was a former
Marine, everything was by the numbers. He made millions,
and was generous to a fault."
In
addition to wife, Feigner is survived by son Eddie Jr.,
who played with the team for 25 years; daughters Shirley,
Carol and Debbie; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Services
are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested
that donations be made to the Eddie Feigner Legacy Wall
in care of Anne Marie Feigner at P.O. Box 4884, Huntsville,
AL, 35815. |
