Mark McGwire

As a freshman pitcher for the USC Trojans, McGwire compiled a 4-4 record with a 3.04 earned-run-average. Despite his growing prowess on the mound, his USC coaches regretted that as a pitcher McGwire's potent bat was only in the line-up every four days. When his freshman year ended, he played in Alaska with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and began playing first base. His next year at USC, McGwire hit 19 home runs, a new school record. He led the school in earned runs and pitching victories as well. In his third and as it turned out last year at USC, he gave up pitching completely. Free to hit in every game, he compiled an average of .387, slammed 32 homers, a new record, and was named an All-American. In 1984 McGwire was selected for the U.S. baseball team that competed in the Los Angeles Olympics. It was the first time baseball was part of the Games and the United States took home the gold medal. The same year, McGwire married his girlfriend, Kathy Hughes, one of the Trojans ballgirls. They had one child, Matthew, before divorcing in the early 1990s.

After his team's Olympic success, McGwire was picked by the Oakland As in the first round of the college draft. McGwire hit with confidence and power in two years in the A's farm system, collecting 24 homers, 109 RBIs and an average of .298. He joined Oakland's big league club for some games at the end of the 1986 season, hitting his first home run on his second day in the majors. He got off to a slow start in 1987 but stuck with the A's until late April when he caught fire. Between April 20 and early July he went on a rampage hitting 33 homers. He was the first rookie ever to hit more than 30 before the All-Star game and richly deserved his spot on the American League All-Star team that year.