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Catfish Hunter was the Baseball Player.

Elmo Hunter was the Federal Judge.

Catfish Hunter

“The bigger the game, the better he pitched,” is the description of James “Jim” Augustus Hunter on his Hall of Fame plaque. Hunter was known to consistently pitch well in big games. Athletics owner Charles O. Finley found Hunter in his hometown of Hertford, North Carolina. The nickname “Catfish” came from Finley. Like Rollie Fingers, Hunter grew out his mustache and collected $300 for it from Finley (Hunter loved a joke). In 1968, while with the A’s, Hunter pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins — only the seventh perfect game in modern baseball history. Sal Bando, a former fellow teammate, noted that Hunter was warm, down to earth, and an awesome team player who treated everyone equally, star or not. Later, Hunter became a free agent following arbitration with Finley over an annuity clause. He signed a five-year contract with the Yankees in 1974 for $3.75 million, making him the highest-paid player in baseball history at the time. Commenting on his deal’s impact on full-scale free agency, Hunter said, "I was probably the first player who broke it open for other players to be paid what they're worth.” Although Hunter was a star player, one teammate described him as being humble and reserved, with a good sense of humor. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner described Hunter as the “cornerstone of the Yankees’ success over the last quarter century.” Steinbrenner added that Hunter “exemplified class and dignity” and that he taught the Yankees how to win. And win they did—the Yankees took home three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976–78. After his time with the team, he returned to his farm and outdoor life in his hometown in North Carolina.

Elmo Hunter

Elmo Bolton Hunter had finished high school and enrolled at the University of Missouri at age 16. In college, Hunter played as starting pitcher for the University of Missouri Tigers. After graduating at the top of his class, Hunter earned his LL.B. at the University of Missouri Law School and, again, graduated first in his class. Having deferred his Rhodes’ studies at Oxford because of the pendency of World War II, Hunter attained his LL.M. at the University of Michigan Law School and, yet again, graduated number one on his class. President Johnson appointed Elmo Bolton Hunter to the federal bench in 1965. Hunter assumed senior status in 1980. Before he became a U.S. District judge, Hunter had been special assistant to the U.S. attorney for prosecution of war fraud cases. Hunter then served as a U.S. army lieutenant. Afterwards, Hunter went into private practice for several years before taking a position as a judge for the Circuit Court of Missouri. He later, he sat on the Kansas City, Missouri Court of Appeals. During some of his time as state judge, he also served as instructor of law at the University of Missouri. Outside of the court, Hunter was also an accomplished deep-sea fisherman—he once single-handedly pulled in a 960-pound “Great White” shark from a beach.

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Catfish Hunter

“The bigger the game, the better he pitched,” is the description of James “Jim” Augustus Hunter on his Hall of Fame plaque. Hunter was known to consistently pitch well in big games. Athletics owner Charles O. Finley found Hunter in his hometown of Hertford, North Carolina. The nickname “Catfish” came from Finley. Like Rollie Fingers, Hunter grew out his mustache and collected $300 for it from Finley (Hunter loved a joke). In 1968, while with the A’s, Hunter pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins — only the seventh perfect game in modern baseball history. Sal Bando, a former fellow teammate, noted that Hunter was warm, down to earth, and an awesome team player who treated everyone equally, star or not. Later, Hunter became a free agent following arbitration with Finley over an annuity clause. He signed a five-year contract with the Yankees in 1974 for $3.75 million, making him the highest-paid player in baseball history at the time. Commenting on his deal’s impact on full-scale free agency, Hunter said, "I was probably the first player who broke it open for other players to be paid what they're worth.” Although Hunter was a star player, one teammate described him as being humble and reserved, with a good sense of humor. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner described Hunter as the “cornerstone of the Yankees’ success over the last quarter century.” Steinbrenner added that Hunter “exemplified class and dignity” and that he taught the Yankees how to win. And win they did—the Yankees took home three straight pennants with Hunter from 1976–78. After his time with the team, he returned to his farm and outdoor life in his hometown in North Carolina.

Elmo Hunter

Elmo Bolton Hunter had finished high school and enrolled at the University of Missouri at age 16. In college, Hunter played as starting pitcher for the University of Missouri Tigers. After graduating at the top of his class, Hunter earned his LL.B. at the University of Missouri Law School and, again, graduated first in his class. Having deferred his Rhodes’ studies at Oxford because of the pendency of World War II, Hunter attained his LL.M. at the University of Michigan Law School and, yet again, graduated number one on his class. President Johnson appointed Elmo Bolton Hunter to the federal bench in 1965. Hunter assumed senior status in 1980. Before he became a U.S. District judge, Hunter had been special assistant to the U.S. attorney for prosecution of war fraud cases. Hunter then served as a U.S. army lieutenant. Afterwards, Hunter went into private practice for several years before taking a position as a judge for the Circuit Court of Missouri. He later, he sat on the Kansas City, Missouri Court of Appeals. During some of his time as state judge, he also served as instructor of law at the University of Missouri. Outside of the court, Hunter was also an accomplished deep-sea fisherman—he once single-handedly pulled in a 960-pound “Great White” shark from a beach.

CONTINUE WITH QUIZ