From Tannersville Va to Cooperstown ⚾️ - the remarkable story of Billy "The Kid" Wagner

[underpants]

Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner into Baseball Hall of Fame
ESPN

Tannersville has a population of 514.
https://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/VA/Tannersville-Demographics.html

Wagner's parents divorced in 1976 when he was five years old. Wagner and his younger sister, Chasity, spent the following 10 years living with various combinations of their parents, their stepparents, and their grandparents in the general Marion area. During this time, Wagner and his family often relied on food stamps.[1] Wagner described a typical breakfast as a "few crackers with peanut butter and a glass of water."[2]

At seven years old, Wagner's right arm was broken while playing football. Shortly after having the cast removed, he broke the arm again. During this time, Wagner, a natural right-hander, began throwing a baseball left-handed.[2]


At 14 years old, Wagner moved in with his aunt, uncle, and cousins, who lived in the Tannersville/Tazewell area about 25 miles (40 km) away from Marion. Despite having fallen behind a year in school due to the instability in his home life, Wagner was socially promoted to Tazewell High School because administrators feared he threw hard enough to injure his middle school classmates.[1]


As a senior in high school, Wagner grew to only 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall and 135 pounds (61 kg)[2] and, as a result, could not get attention from Major League Baseball scouts or Division I schools.[1]
Wagner chose to follow his cousin to Ferrum College, a small liberal arts college in Ferrum, Virginia, where they both played baseball and football. Coaches at Ferrum encouraged Wagner to focus on baseball and he would eventually take their advice and stop playing football.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Wagner