Bobby Bonds
A dynamic power-speed pioneer who debuted with a splash and became the first player to launch 30 homers and steal 30 bases in a season multiple times.
1946–2003 (age 57)·American baseball player·Birthday: March 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bobby Bonds arrived in the majors not with a whisper, but with a roar. In his very first game for the San Francisco Giants in 1968, he hit a grand slam, signaling the arrival of a new kind of athlete. In an era before the 30-30 club was common, Bonds was its original prototype—a breathtaking blend of raw power and explosive speed. He played the game with a fierce, sometimes mercurial intensity, patrolling right field with a cannon arm and disrupting games from the leadoff spot. While his son Barry would later eclipse his home run totals, Bobby's legacy is that of a trailblazer. He was the first to achieve the 30-30 feat five times, and he did it for five different teams, a testament to his immense talent and the constant demand for his unique skill set, even as he was traded with surprising frequency.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bobby was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bobby Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Bobby's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2003Died at 57
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Key Achievements
- Became the first player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season more than once, achieving the feat five times.
- Hit a grand slam in his first major league game on June 25, 1968.
- Won three Gold Glove Awards for his defensive excellence as a right fielder.
- Stole 461 bases over his career while also hitting 332 home runs, a rare power-speed combination for his era.
Did You Know?
He is the father of MLB's all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds.
He and his son Barry are the only father-son duo to each have multiple 30-30 seasons.
He was traded seven times during his career, a record for a player of his caliber at the time.
He led the National League in runs scored three times (1969, 1971, 1973).
“I could run and I could hit with power; that was my game.”
