Chi Chi Rodríguez

Life was hard for Rodríguez's family when he was a child. Rodríguez was the one of six children, and he was the sickliest. He suffered from rickets, a disease caused by vitamin deficiencies, and tropical sprue, and he nearly died of them when he was a preschooler. He still has brittle and sensitive bones as a result, but this did not stop him from participating in sports. In fact, before he became a professional golfer Rodríguez boxed and was a pitcher in a semiprofessional baseball league that included

Chi Chi Rodríguez

such skilled players as Roberto Clemente. (Baseball gave Rodríguez the nickname "Chi Chi": he borrowed the name from another player, Chi Chi Flores, who was noted for his hard-working attitude.)

Rodríguez's parents separated when he was seven, and the children stayed with Rodríguez's father, Juan Rodríguez, Sr. He was a manual laborer who never earned more than $18 a week, but the younger Rodríguez remembers how his father shared their meager food with other hungry children. Rodríguez credits his father's example for his own generosity: After he became successful Rodríguez started his own foundation to help disadvantaged children, and he often passes up lucrative sponsored events to appear at charity benefits.