<P> Ryan was born in Refugio, south of Victoria in south Texas, the youngest of six children, to Lynn Nolan Ryan Sr. (1907--1970), and the former Martha Lee Hancock (1913--1990). The senior Ryan operated a newspaper delivery service for the Houston Post that required him to rise in the early morning hours to prepare 1,500 newspapers for delivery over a 55 - mile route . The children were expected to help with the daily tasks . Ryan's family lived in nearby Woodsboro in Refugio County, until they moved to Alvin in Brazoria County, when Nolan was six weeks old . As a young boy, Nolan enjoyed throwing objects at any target . His father thought baseball a better usage for his arm; therefore, he encouraged Nolan to play the game . </P> <P> Ryan joined Alvin Little League Baseball when he was nine, made the all - star team when he was 11 and 12, and pitched the first no - hitter of his life a few years later . Ryan also played various positions besides pitcher . </P> <P> Ryan played baseball for Coach Jim Watson at Alvin High School for all of his high school career . Ryan held the school's single game strikeout record for 44 years, striking out 21 hitters in a 7 - inning game . The record was eventually tied by Alvin High School pitchers Aaron Stewart and Josh Land in the same week in 2009 . </P> <P> In 1963, at an Alvin High School game at Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, Red Murff, a scout for the New York Mets, first noticed sophomore pitcher Ryan . Coach Watson recounted to Murff that some opponents refused to bat against Ryan and how his hard pitches would sometimes break bones in his catchers' hands . In his subsequent report to the Mets, Murff stated that Ryan had "the best arm I've seen in my life ." </P>

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