18 Lou Gehrig Facts You Need to Know!

Lou Gehrig was born on in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York.

Lou Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903.

Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees during his entire 17-year career in Major League Baseball.

Yes, Gehrig was elected to the Hall of Fame via special election December of 1939, less than a year after he retired.

Lou Gehrig died on June 2, 1941,

Gehrig died after a rapid decline in his physical state, which included dramatic problems with muscle control, balance, and fatigue. After numerous consultations with physicians and extensive testing at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

The disease almost immediately took on the colloquial name of “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

Though he lived another two years after his 1939 diagnosis, Gehrig eventually died of complications from ALS.

Lou Gehrig is buried at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, in suburban Westchester County. His ashes are locked in a vault in the same section of the cemetery as Yankees executive Ed Barrow, and one section over from fellow Yankees legends Babe Ruth and Billy Martin.

Gehrig was 37 years and 348 days old when he died of ALS on June 2, 1941. He was 17 days shy of his 38th birthday.

Gehrig famously replaced Wally Pipp at first base for the Yankees on June 1, 1925, when the slumping Pipp asked for a day off. Gehrig wouldn’t come out of the lineup until May of 1939.

Gehrig played 2130 consecutive games from 1925 through 1939, a record streak that would stand until Cal Ripken, Jr., surpassed it in 1995. Overall, Gehrig played in 2164 major league games from 1923 through 1939.

Gehrig was probably most famous for replacing Wally Pipp at first base as a breather for the veteran, and then never coming out of the lineup. Or, at least not coming out for the next 14 seasons.

Later, Gehrig unfortunately became famously tied to ALS, the disease also commonly called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

Lou Gehrig made his first major league appearance on June 15, 1923.

Gehrig officially retired on June 21, 1939, two days after his ALS diagnosis. On July 4, 1939, at Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, Gehrig delivered his retirement speech, which featured the famed “The luckiest man on the face of the earth” line.

Gehrig retired because his debilitating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis made it impossible for him to continue playing baseball.

Gehrig won seven World Series with the New York Yankees, in 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, and 1939. He didn’t play in the final Fall Classic but was still given a championship ring by the team.

Gehrig’s Yanks also played in the 1926 World Series, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Yes, Gehrig played college baseball at Columbia University before signing a contract with the Yankees in 1923.

Gehrig attended Columbia University, where he played first base and pitched for the Lions.

Lou Gehrig died at his home in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, New York.