Billy Sunday and the John Scott Farm

By fourteen, Sunday was shifting for himself. In Nevada, Iowa, he worked for Colonel John Scott, a former lieutenant governor, tending Shetland ponies and doing other farm chores. The Scotts provided Sunday a good home and the opportunity to attend Nevada High School.[5] Although Sunday never received a high school diploma, by 1880 he was better educated than many of his contemporaries.[6]

When Billy was fourteen, he went with his brother Ed to live with their grandfather back near Ames. But Billy didn’t like farm life, and, despite his older brother’s tears, he left the farm and traveled to a nearby town where he got a job at a hotel. By and by, he learned that a prominent local politician and Civil War veteran, Col. John Scott, wanted to hire a boy to work for him. When Billy applied for the job, Mrs. Scott didn’t like his looks, but she told him he could go and scrub the cellar stairs.

Billy cleaned the stairs so well that he was hired on the spot. Shortly after, Billy was able to enroll in high school. He proved to be sensational at sports. His speed as a runner was incredible, and he became known as one of the few people in the country who could run a hundred yards in ten seconds. After graduating from high school, Billy moved to another town and joined the local baseball team.