Lou Gehrig remains one of the greatest heros in professional sports.  Gehrig avoided the spotlight and led by example.  Gehrig gained the reputation as the Iron Horse of baseball for playing in 2,130 consecutive games.

Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903 in New York City as the only surviving son of German immigrant parents.  His mother, Christina, worked at a number of household jobs to support her family.  His father, Heinrich, had difficulty finding work and suffered from health problems.  As German immigrants, they knew the value of education an insisted that their son receive the best possible education.  Gehrig was accepted at Cilumbia University on a football scholarship to study engineering.  Gehrig played baseball for the Columbia Nine baseball team and his legendary home runs from South Field caught th attention of baseball scout Paul Krichell who enlisted Gehrig for the New York Yankees in 1923.

Feeling ill, Yankee first baseman Wally Pipp took himself out of the lineup.  Gehrig replaced Pipp and stayed at fisr base for the next thirteen years.  His strength was legendary and pitchers feared a lineup when facing back to back batters of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.  The 1927 New York Yankees dominated baseball like no other team before had done before them.  Babe Rith hit 60 home runs in 1927.  Lou Gehrig hot 47.  At the time, their combined total of home runs was greater than any team playing baseball.  In 1928, Gehrig was selected as the Most Valuable Player award.  Hehrih continued to show amazing ability and in 1932 he hit four home runs in a single game against the Philadelphia Athletics.

Gehrig's lifetime batting average was .340.  Gehrig is one of only seven baseball players with more than 100 extra-base hits in one season, a feat that he accomplished in two separate seasons.  For many years Gehrig held the all-time record for Runs Batted In for a season.  In 1934, Gehrig won the Triple Crown. His performance at stealing bases and hitting grand slams was legendary.

In 1938, Gehrig began to show symptoms of a neurologic disease that was later diagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.  Gehrig;'s batting avaerage fell below .300 for the first time since 1925.  Gehrig began dragging his feet and his ability to hit home runs was impaired.  New York Yankee manager Joe McCarthy said that removing Gehrig out of the starying lineup was Lou's decision.  On May 2, 1939, Lou took himself out of the game.  He was diagnosed with a disease that would eventually be his namesake.  Lou worked as a correctional officer, but his career in baseball had come to an unfortunate end.

Our Lou Gehrig check print is one of our most popular autograph stock photos.  Lou Gehrig's life is chronicled in the book Luckiest Man.  This Lou Gehrig autograph check reproduction would look great in an album or display.