Tom House on MLB career and working with Nolan Ryan, Drew Brees

In The Front Row with Mike Vaccaro

Tom House was born in Seattle, spent time in Portland, OR and went to high school in California. From there, the lefty would play for USC and legendary head coach Rod Dedeaux. The Cubs drafted House in 1965, but following his mom’s wishes he remained in school and did not sign. House was drafted again in 1967 and this time signed with the Atlanta Braves where he would debut in 1971 and be a key reliever for the Braves 1974-1975. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox before the 1976 season and would be traded again in 1977 to the expansion Seattle Mariners bringing him back to the city where he was born. After retiring, House went back to school to finish his degree and earned a PHD in sports psychology. In 1985, House became pitching coach with the Texas Rangers using what were thought of at the time as unconventional training, but what would eventually lead to him being considered the “Father of Modern Pitching Mechanics”. Among his pitching pupils were Hall of Fame pitchers Nolan Ryan, Greg Maddox and Randy Johnson. His work with NFL quarterback Drew Brees would also lead to House working with other high-profile quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Dak Prescott. In this episode, House shares his journey and memories of a life that has had a number of “Forrest Gump” moments such as catching Hank Aaron’s record-setting homerun ball in 1974, being running buddies with George W. Bush (owner of the Texas Rangers at the time) and being a consultant on the reality show that would become a Disney movie, “The Million Dollar Arm”. He also tells us about authoring 7 books and establishing a methodology that has spawned a website and a new app. House also shares his battle with Parkinson’s disease and hints at collaboration with former MLB standout Kirk Gibson to help combat the disease.