Rickey Hill net worth came into question after the movie The Hill, inspired by his life, was released in 2023. The former minor league player, Hill, is now a golf instructor in Texas.
The movie The Hill, directed by Jeff Celentano, received rave reviews from critics and the public alike when it hit the big screens last year. It depicts the story of Rickey Hill, a boy born with a disability but a fierce passion and love for his favorite sport, baseball.
Hill overcame his disability and became a minor league player in the 70s. But before he could hit the big leagues, his career ended. Nevertheless, Hill made his life’s goal to inspire kids born with disabilities like him.
This was one of the reasons why Rickey wanted his life story to be shown on movie screens. He searched far and wide to find a director who would tell his story and finally found Jeff.
A religious person and a man of Christian faith, Rickey faced several hurdles while making the movie. But in the end, Rickey was able to show his life story.
Rickey Hill Net Worth: The Former Minor League Player And Now Golf Instructor
Rickey Hill net worth could’ve surpassed six figures if he had made it to the big leagues. Unfortunately, his baseball career ended after four years in the minor leagues.
At age 22, Rickey had to give up on his baseball career after he was diagnosed with a spine disorder in 1978. Rickey started his baseball career with Pioneer League at Lethbridge Expos. He played 39 games with an OPS of .565 and an OBP of .263.
He later moved to the Gulf States League and played for Rio Grande Valley. Rickey starred with the bat for 34 games and had an OPS of .878, a staggering increase.
In 1977, he played for Texas City in the Lone Star League and ended his career with Grays Harbor in the Northwest League with an OPS of .930.
A minor league player in the 70s, Rickey certainly didn’t make much from his baseball career. Even nowadays, the minor league players aren’t paid much.
Previously, the SB Nation shared an article that reported how a minor league player in 1960 was paid only $362.5. It isn’t certain whether the amount was for one month or a year.
An article from 2023 from Forth Worth Report mentions that Rickey is now a golf instructor. After Hill could no longer play baseball, he found golf and enjoyed playing and teaching the game to others.
It is also reported that the former minor league player plays golf at PGA Levels and partners with famous names like Tony Romo. Rickey has his website, where he sells Rickey Hill’s Wellness Kit, available for $100.
Rickey Hill Involvement With Charities
Hill is part of the Kids Matter Eagles International, a foundation that helps children in need through programs that empower them and enhance their lives.
Last year, Rickey played in the Kids Matter Eagles Challenge charitable golf tournament at Lantana Golf Club in Lantana, Texas.
In November, Rickey also made a surprise visit to the Vernon Rehabilitation & Nursing Center and visited the residents. In an interview with The Jeff Crilley Show, Rickey said he lost three inches in height due to his spine and has nine screws lodged inside of him.
Where Is The Baseball Star Today? Rickey Hill Family
The former baseball player continues to live in Texas, the place where he was raised. Hill was born to a poor Baptist pastor in Forth Worth, Texas.
Rickey has described his father, James Hill, as a strict but loving traveling pastor. He tried his best to persuade his son away from baseball. James believed the rigorous sport would be too hard on his health and that his son would be mocked for his disability.
In the movie, it is shown that the doctor said to the Hill family that their son was born with a degenerative spinal disease and that his bones were rapidly depleting.
The disease ran in his family, as his grandmother and great-grandmother were in wheelchairs at ages- 38 and 42. In his interview with The Athletic, Rickey said it was tough to grow up wearing leg braces and that his father would make it for him as they didn’t have money to buy real ones.
Rickey took off his leg braces at age eight and never put them back on. The Hill family’s middle child, Rickey, has an older brother named Robert and a younger sister named Connie.
In the movie, a character named Gracie Shantz plays Rickey’s girlfriend, but in real life, Rickey had a woman named Sherran as his partner. The two married in 1975 at 18 but divorced in 1986 after being parents to two kids.
