Lou Brissie ’43, World War II veteran and former Major League Baseball pitcher, will be honored by the town of Ware Shoals, SC and Ware Shoals School District 51 when the Ware Shoals High School baseball field at Riegel Stadium will be named in his honor.

The ceremony to unveil Brissie Field will take place on Veterans Day, Monday at 11:00 a.m. at the stadium.

Brissie, a Ware Shoals native, suffered a severe leg injury while fighting in Italy in 1944. His injuries were so severe that doctors initially wanted to amputate his left leg. Brissie pleased with them not to, telling them that he was a baseball player. He went through 23 surgeries and extensive rehab and kept his leg.

Four years before his leg injury, when he was 16, Brissie began pitching in the textile baseball leagues in Ware Shoals. A year later, he was offered a spot in the rotation for the Brooklyn Dodgers and also attracted attention from the Philadelphia Athletics.

Brissie decided to attend PC instead and pitched for the baseball team before enlisting in the Army.

Brissie began playing for the Philadelphia Athletics three years after his leg injury. He pitched in a leg brace, playing in the big leagues until 1953.

Brissie, who now lives in North Augusta, SC, became the national director of the American Legion baseball program after his Major League Baseball career. He was inducted into the South Atlanta League’s Hall of Fame in 1994.