34Df5D79 786F 4A4B B5Cb 72F4Be808C65 E1751565187977 — “Don Sutton – 20” by pvsbond is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

This is the first piece in our series highlighting some of Alabama’s roads and their historic namesakes. Have a street in your city you want us to highlight? Send us an email or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

It may be hard to believe but one of the best pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball was born in a small Barbour County town.

Don Sutton didn’t spend much time in Alabama but he was born in the town of Clio, located between Montgomery and Dothan. According to the Troy Messenger, the Sutton family moved just across the state border to Florida when Don was around 5 years old.

While he sometimes gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to legendary Alabama native athletes, there are still some signs of his legacy including on a 250-foot road in Clio.

Don Sutton Street is easy to miss even if you drive through Clio every day. Its located on the south side of the Clio Baptist Church just off Alabama State Route 10.

Don Sutton

While he may have spent just a few years in Alabama as a kid, we can still claim Sutton as one of our own.

In 1987, Sutton was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame before he even retired from baseball. 11 years later, he was voted in to Cooperstown, becoming a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

7C759Ad3 9A9A 4C53 9F73 0E22305B1714 — “Don Sutton baseball card” by bsteve76 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Sutton played for 23 seasons including 16 with the Los Angeles Dodgers who retired his number 20 jersey. He became a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves after his playing career and was inducted into their team Hall of Fame.

Some of his career accolades include: