Word broke Wednesday night that Chi Chi Rodriguez had died at 88 and the tributes began pouring in soon thereafter for one of golf’s great showmen.
Rodriguez, who hailed from Puerto Rico and came from humble beginnings, was a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. But his comedic antics, especially his signature sword dance, made him a crowd favorite. Later in life, Rodriguez made it his life ambition to give back to the game that had given him everything, creating the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation in 1979. He often credited a meeting with Mother Teresa for his inspiration to give back, but his support of the common man dated back to his father, who labored in the sugar plantations of his hometown and never earned more than $18 a week.
Bob Harig, now of Sports Illustrated but writing in 1991 for the St. Petersburg Times, tells a great Chi Chi story that sheds light on why he became one of golf’s great humanitarians.
“He has told the story several times, about how his father woke him one night when he heard someone trying to steal bananas from the tree in their yard. His father asked the man for the machete.
“The guy could have killed him, but he didn’t,” Chi Chi said. “He handed over the machete. My father went and cut the banana bunch in half. He gave the man half and said, `Now, whenever you want bananas and I got ’em, if you want half, you can have half.’
“I learned from his example. I believe in helping people. I believe that if a kid needs help and I can help him financially or any other way, I will, because when a person suffers, I suffer. Why, I don’t know.”
Here are some of the memories of what Chi Chi meant to everyone from the greats of the game to the common fan.