Out and About Kentucky Style: the Don Gullett story

His life was the stuff movies are made of. You’ve probably seen such a movie where the Kentucky farm boy was the sixth of eight kids destined to make it big in something someday. He knew he wanted more than pitching bales of hay on his farm and for nearby neighbors in Greenup County, Kentucky.

Gary West is an author and News Journal columnist.

In 1968, standing 6-foot and weighing 190 pounds, his football, basketball and baseball coaches at McKell High School knew then this guy was special. He was destined for the Hall of Fame in at least one sport, maybe three.

Few realize that Gullett still holds the single game football scoring record for high school in Kentucky. Against Wurtland he ran for 410 yards and scored 72 points in a McKell 72-7 victory. He scored all of the points, with 11 touchdowns and kicking six extra points.

In basketball, Gullett scored 47 points in a game, earning recognition on several all-state teams. Needless to say he was sought after by several colleges in both sports.

It was however, baseball where Don Gullett would make his name in professional sports. As good as he had been in football and basketball, his high school baseball record really turned heads. With a 30-4 career mark that included 10-0 his senior season, he once tossed a perfect game, striking out 20 of 21 batters he faced.

The Cincinnati Reds drafted him 14th in the first round of the 1969 amateur draft.

Gullett was good.

Although his 109-50 record with the Reds, wasn’t good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame, he was considered among the best pitchers in baseball and was a kingpin on some of the best Reds teams. Pete Rose once said Gullett was so fast he could hurl a baseball through a car wash without getting the ball wet.

During his career Gullett suffered from hepatitis, a broken thumb, dislocated ankle tendons, neck and shoulder injuries, and a double tear in his rotator cuff. He couldn’t recover, and on October 20, 1980 at the age of 27, Don Gullett was out of baseball.

Gullett returned to his farm near McKell, hunting, fishing, smoking three packs of cigarettes a day along with drinking a gallon of coffee. Then at the age of 35 he suffered a heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery. At this time he was serving as a pitching coach in the Reds farm system. By 1993, he was back with the big club as they’re pitching coach.

Only a very few major league players have played for four consecutive World Series champions. In 1975 and 76 it was with the Reds, and for the Yankees in 1977 and 78. In all he was a member of six World Series teams.

Gullett gave up Hank Aaron’s 660th home run in August 1972. History came close to repeating itself when almost a year to the day later, he gave up Willie Mays 660th home run.

Today a monument to Gullett can be seen on the Greenup Courthouse lawn, proclaiming “This Is Don Gullett Country.” His picture can be seen on a flood wall in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Of course Don Gullett is in several Hall of Fames in Kentucky. Though not the big ones many anticipated, still not bad for one of the greatest all-around athletes in Kentucky history.

There’s no excuse, get up, get out and get going! Gary P. West can be reached at westgarypdeb@gmail.com.