High school

Gullett attended McKell High School in South Shore, Kentucky where he was an outstanding three-sports athlete in baseball, football, and basketball. As a high school pitcher, he once tossed a perfect game—including striking out 20 of the 21 hitters he faced. Gullett excelled as a high school football player as well once scoring 72 points in a single game. He ran for 11 touchdowns and kicked 6 extra points. Don was named all state in three sports his senior year (baseball, football, basketball). Gullett's legacy is remembered in a memorial on the courthouse lawn in Greenup County, Kentucky that declares that "This is Don Gullett Country."

Professional career

The Reds selected Gullett in the first round of the 1969 Major League Baseball draft. He pitched for the Sioux Falls Packers of the Northern League that season. He made his big league debut on April 10, 1970.

Gullett played for the Reds from 1970 through the 1976 season. In November of that year, as a free agent, he signed with the New York Yankees. He enjoyed a 14-4 season with the Yankees in 1977, but shoulder problems in 1978 signalled the end of his career.

During a nine-year career, Gullett accumulated 109 wins and posted a 3.11 earned run average (ERA) and tallied 921 strikeouts. Playing for only nine seasons, Gullett was a member of six World Series teams (1970, 72, 75, 76, 77, 78), including four consecutive World Champions ('75 and '76 Reds, and '77 and '78 Yankees).

At the plate, Gullett posted a career batting average of .194. In a 1975 National League Championship Series game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Gullett pitched a complete game and hit a single and home run, collecting 3 RBI.

Gullett was also sometimes used as a pinch runner by the Reds.

After sitting out the 1979 and 1980 seasons due to extensive shoulder and rotator cuff problems, Gullett was released by the Yankees in late 1980.

In 1989, Gullett played for the St. Lucie Legends of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.

In 1993, he rejoined the Reds as pitching coach, a post he held until being ousted mid-season in 2005.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]