Hillerich & Bradsby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hillerich & Bradsby Company is a company located in Louisville, Kentucky that produces the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat. H&B also makes baseball gloves, hockey sticks, hockey gloves, golf clubs, golf gloves and other equipment.
Besides its products, H&B attaches the Louisville Slugger name to other things as a sponsor. The Minor League Louisville Bats play at Louisville Slugger Field in downtown Louisville. The Louisville Slugger Museum, also downtown, features a retrospective of the product and its use throughout baseball history. The Louisville Silver Slugger award is given annually to the Major League Baseball player with the best offensive output in each position.
The Hillerich family's woodworking shop first opened in 1855. According to company legend, their first baseball bat was made in 1884 for the Louisville-born Pete "The Gladiator" Browning of the Louisville Eclipse. The bats were sold under the name "Falls City Slugger" until around 1894 when the name "Louisville Slugger" was trademarked. In 1905, Honus Wagner signed a deal with the company, becoming the first baseball player to officially endorse a bat. Frank Bradsby, a salesman, became a partner in 1916 and the company's name changed to Hillerich and Bradsby. During World War II, the company produced wooden rifle stocks and Billy clubs for the U.S. Army. In 1954, the company purchased Larimer and Norton, Inc., a Pennsylvanian lumber company to ensure a supply of hardwood for their products.
In 1974 the company had relocated across the river to Jeffersonville, Indiana, taking advantage of the nearby railroad. In the 1990s the company returned to Kentucky.
