Spotlight : Nolan Ryan

The accomplishments of baseball legend Nolan Ryan are well documented. In fact, The Dallas Morning News website has devoted 26 pages detailing his achievements and records, many of which may never be broken. This edition of Swatches tells of the Nolan and Ruth Ryan I have grown to know well over the past six years.

In August of 1993, Nolan was nearing the end of his brilliant 27-year career. I received a phone call from Dick Zadina, whose wife Peggy had attended a charity function where she met Nolan's wife, Ruth. When Peggy heard that Ruth was looking for a tailor for her husband, she recommended R.W. Furr Clothiers. Dick explained this, and within about a week, Nolan called me. He asked if I could come to his home in Arlington, where he wanted to talk to me about the possibility of being his tailor.

After arriving at his home in an affluent Arlington neighborhood one Saturday morning in August, 1993, I never dreamed that I would someday be making a suit for his induction into baseball's Hall of Fame (which, by the way, he will wear Sunday, July 25th in Cooperstown, New York). When he answered the door, my first thought upon shaking his hand was, "This man is a real life cowboy." I know the "drug store type," because I was raised in a small town myself. I had friends who lived in the country, and they used to call me that whenever I tried to wear a pair of boots to school.

But Nolan is the real thing. The calluses on his hands have been earned the hard way, from genuine work. As he walked into the den, I immediately recognized the difficulties he would encounter in trying to wear clothing off the rack. The drop from his chest to his waist was 12 inches, with a 48-inch chest and 36-inch waist. This, I thought, was a superbly conditioned athlete.

On the kitchen table were boxes and boxes of baseballs awaiting his autograph. The den where we sat was filled with pictures of his wife and children. His pickup was parked in the garage. I noticed a book written by his wife sitting on the coffee table, and he seemed to really enjoy talking about her and their children, Reid, Reese, and Wendy. I steered away from the standard questions about baseball, which I was sure he had answered a thousand or more times.

Not wanting to waste time, I got right down to business to tell him what I had to offer. As he looked over the fabrics, I was impressed with the choices he made. Nothing flashy; classic gray stripes, plaids in gray, and brown, one of his favorite colors. I was impressed with his knowledge of his own body, and his thoughts on what the results of his measurements would be. It was obvious that he had bought a lot of clothes over the years and knew exactly what he wanted.

On the return trip, I met Ruth. She was eager to take an active role in the coordination of his shirts and ties. It occurred to me at that time that Nolan and Ruth are genuine Texan. They love the state, and Nolan was even appointed by Governor George Bush to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. I also learned that the two began dating in high school in Alvin, Texas. Ruth had been a state champion tennis player while Nolan was making his rise to stardom in baseball. At the time, he was a lanky 6'2" pitcher who weighed only 140 lbs.

When it came time to make his Hall of Fame suit selection, he decided on a taupe solid super 120's gaberdine with a blue striped shirt. A second suit (for preliminary ceremonies), is a classic gray with blue and chalk mini stripes. The shirts for both suits will have French cuffs for his Texas cuff links. His measurements were the same as they were on that August day in 1993.

Nolan is "old school" in comparison to most modern-day professional athletes. It has been an honor to make his clothing over these many years. He was voted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot by a huge margin. The reasons for this are plainly obvious. His character, discipline, and commitment to his family are just as impressive.