Legendary baseball star, Sandy Koufax, turns 90 today. The Los Angeles Dodger, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, had a relatively short career. After retiring in 1966 at 30-years-old, Sandy has kept a low-profile — but in 2025, that profile has been more active than fans have seen in years.
The 90-year-old has been married three times, was the first time three-time winner of the Cy Young Award, and was the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. While baseball fans can probably recite statistics from Sandy's career, his private life and his continued influence on modern Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw offer a deeper look at the man behind the myth.
As we wish Sandy a happy 90th birthday, HELLO! dives into the star's private life after his early retirement and shares what he looks like in his ninth decade of life.
On December 30, 1935, Sanford Koufax Braun was born to Evelyn and JackBraun in Borough Park, Brooklyn. When he was just three-years-old, his parents got divorced, meaning for most of his childhood, Sandy was raised by his maternal grandparents.
When he was in high school in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Sandy was better known for his basketball skills than for his baseball ones. He even made newspaper headlines for his play. During his last year of high school, Sandy joined the baseball team as a first baseman, but he didn't love the sport at first.
It wasn't until a local coach noticed his "God-given" arm strength that he was convinced to move from first base to the pitcher's mound.
He went on to walk-on to the basketball team at the University of Cincinnati and averaged 9.7 points per game. While at the school, he also joined the baseball team as a pitcher and ended the season with a 2.81 ERA.
In a move that would never happen today, Sandy was also enrolled at Columbia University during his rookie year. After the final out of Game 7 in the World Series, Sandy went straight to campus to attend a class.
In his third season with the team, Sandy and the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. A year after they relocated, they won the World Series against the Chicago White Sox with Sandy pitching two perfect relief innings.
From the 1961 season onwards, Sandy was dominant in the league. He tied his own record of 18 strikeouts in a game, threw four no-hitters, and had an enviably low ERA of 1.23. During his career, he won four World Series.
On November 18, 1966, Sandy announced his retirement from baseball in a press conference in Beverly Hills. He was just 30-years-old.
"I've got a lot of years to live after baseball and I would like to live them with the complete use of my body," he explained during the conference, citing the chronic pain in his pitching elbow. "I don't regret one minute of the last twelve years, but I think I would regret one year that was too many."
After he retired, Sandy signed a $1 million, 10-year contract with NBC to be a broadcaster on the Saturday Game of the Week. But, ever the shy man, he didn't enjoy the work and ended up quitting after six years behind the microphone.
After his retirement, Sandy married Anne Widmark, the daughter of actor and Academy Award nominee, Richard Widmark. The two were married for 13 years before divorcing in 1982.
Three years later, Sandy married his personal trainer, Kimberly Francis. Their relationship also lasted 13 years. The couple divorced in 1998 when Sandy was 63.
Sandy splits time between Vero Beach, Florida and Hellerton, Pennsylvania.
During the Dodgers' 2025 World Series run against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sandy was a fixture at Dodger Stadium. The iconic player made headlines not only for his youthful appearance, but for his stamina too. During Game 3, the Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays after a grueling 18-inning face off.
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