Roy Pounds
Interview by Jaime Raabe

Roy Pounds

Jaime Raabe: What was your childhood like?
Roy Pounds: I spent most of my life in Lyons. Back then, my friends and I were what you call huckleberry boys. We would leave after breakfast and go fishing, swimming, and built rafts. Then we would float in the old Logan Creek. Our generation took off in the morning and didn’t come back until suppertime. We would swim in the dredge. The dredge was considered cleaner than the swimming pool sometimes. During winter, my friends and I would skate on the Lyons pool. One of the things I disliked was wearing shoes. It was a tough job to put on leather shoes during the fall when I had to go to school.

What was the average income when you were younger?
Growing up back then was tough. Everyone was practically poor. I had five siblings and we lived on $35 a month. We would head to the dump in search of zinc lids, copper, and other materials that we could get money. I never owned a bicycle or car until I bought my first vehicle in 1951 after being married for three years.

Where did you work before your baseball career?
I was drafted into the U.S. Army in March of 1946 and discharged in 1947 with a tech four SSgt rating. I worked for the Burt County Bridge Crew until June 1948. I then went to work at the Lyons creamery.

When did your baseball career begin?
In July 1949 I signed a baseball contract as left-handed pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals. I finished the season with the Omaha Cardinals. From here I headed to Albany, Georgia where I lead the league in earned run average and made the All Star Team. I went back to Omaha and promoted to Class A in 1951. In 1952, I was promoted to triple A ball in Columbus, Ohio. I hurt my shoulder and was sent back to Omaha. They were going to send me to Fresno, California, but at that time we had a young daughter and I decided to give up professional baseball. I decided to pitch the rest of the season with Superior in the Nebraska Independent League.

Where did you work after your baseball career?
The next 25 years I hauled freight for my father-in-law in Fremont, Omaha, and Sioux City. For the next four years I worked at First National Bank selling insurance. In 1975 I purchased and ran a 30,000 laying hen chicken house until I sold it in 1990. My last job was driving a school bus until I was struck with wet macular degeneration which left me legally blind.

How long have you been married and how many children do you have?
My wife and I have been married for 67 years. We have four children: Dee, Richard, Jason, Jerrod. I also have three grandsons, three granddaughters, and four great grandsons.







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