Angels legend Rod Carew becomes U.S. citizen at 78
Rod Carew, former Angels star and Baseball hall of famer, gets emotional as he watches an inspirational naturalization video as he finally becomes a U.S. citizen at the age of 78 by being sworn in as a U.S. Citizen at USCIS Santa Ana field office in
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CNS) - Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew, a Panama native and one of Major League Baseball's greatest hitters, became a U.S. citizen Friday in Santa Ana.
Carew, 78, took the Oath of Allegiance at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Santa Ana, receiving the oath from USCIS San Diego District Director Alanna Ow.
According to USCIS, Carew was accompanied at the ceremony by about 20 family, friends and former teammates.
"I've been waiting for this a long time," Carew said at the ceremony, NBC4 reported. "I want to be a part of the great things that this country has given us. Any way that I can help, I'd be willing to help. I came here when I was a kid. I have lived my whole life in this country. It has given me nothing but good health and good fortune."
Carew played 19 MLB seasons, beginning in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins and ending with the California Angels, with whom he played from 1979-85.
Carew had a career .328 batting average and was an 18-time All Star. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1967 and won the AL Most Valuable Player crown in 1977 -- a year in which he flirted with a .400 season batting average, finishing that year at .388. After his playing career, he was a hitting coach for both the Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.