Jack braun sandy koufax biography

Sandy Koufax was born Sanford Braun on December 30, , in Brooklyn, New York, to Jack and Evelyn Braun, though his parents soon divorced. As a youngster, Koufax stayed with his Jewish grandparents, Max and Dora Lichtenstein, while his mother, an accountant, worked.

When Koufax was nine, his mother married a lawyer named Irving Koufax. Young Sandy took his stepfather's last name and pretty much severed ties with his birthfather.

Growing up, Koufax's true love was basketball. At Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, the 6-foot-2 Koufax dominated the league.

With his Herculean arm, Koufax could launch a basketball the length of the court to a teammate waiting under the basket.

Koufax was a shy kid who preferred staying out of the spotlight, yet his muscles continually drew him in.

Sandy Koufax

In Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy, author Jane Leavy recalled that a childhood friend noted that strangers at the beach gawked at the teenage Koufax's build, calling him "a Greek