Editing Chuck Connors (section)

== Early life and education ==
Connors was born on April 10, 1921, in the [[Boroughs of New York City|borough]] of [[Brooklyn]] in New York City to Marcella ({{nee|Lundrigan}}; 1894–1971) and Alban Francis "Allan" Connors (1891–1966), immigrants of Irish descent from [[Newfoundland and Labrador]].<ref name="1930 Census">[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RCQ-4WY?cc=1810731 "Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930"], Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, April 12, 1930; Enumeration District 24-1031. Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Commerce. Digital copy of original enumeration page of cited census available at FamilySearch, an online genealogical database provided as a public service by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah; retrieved July 24, 2017.</ref> He had one sibling, a younger sister named Gloria Marie Connors Cole (1923–2020).<ref>"United States, Census, 1930", ''FamilySearch'' (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4N5-CY8 : Thu Jan 16 02:47:56 UTC 2025), Entry for Allen Connors and Marcella Connors, 1930.</ref><ref>"United States, Census, 1950", ''FamilySearch'' (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6XTG-NKQP : Wed Mar 20 16:09:23 UTC 2024), Entry for Allan Connors and Marcella Connors, 10 April 1950.</ref> Raised as a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], Connors served as an altar boy at the [[Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Brooklyn)|Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help]] in Brooklyn.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Our Chuck Connors |url=http://www.ourchuckconnors.com/home.html |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=Our Chuck Connors.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://walkoffame.com/chuck-connors/ | title=Chuck Connors | date=October 25, 2019 }}</ref>

His father became a citizen of the United States in 1914 and was working in Brooklyn in 1930 as a [[longshoreman]] and his mother had also attained her U.S. citizenship in 1917.<ref name="1930 Census"/>

Connors was a devoted fan of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] despite their losing record during the 1930s, and hoped to join the team one day. A talented athlete, he earned a scholarship to the Adelphi Academy, a preparatory school in Brooklyn, where he graduated in 1939. He received offers for athletic scholarships from more than two dozen colleges and universities.<ref name="McCain Ranch">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090327061416/http://www.riflemanconnors.com/Chuck_Connors.html Chuck Connors biography]}}, "Welcome to the McCain Ranch" website dedicated to the history and content of the television series ''The Rifleman''; retrieved July 24, 2017.</ref> He attended [[Seton Hall University]] and played both [[Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball|basketball]] and baseball at the school.

Since childhood, Connors had disliked his first name, Kevin, and sought another name. He tried using "Lefty" and "Stretch" before finally settling on "Chuck".<ref name="profile">[http://www.ourchuckconnors.com Profile], ourchuckconnors.com; accessed March 7, 2015.</ref> The name derived from his time as a player on Seton Hall's baseball team. He would repeatedly yell to the pitcher from his position on first base, "Chuck it to me, baby! Chuck it to me!" The rest of his teammates and spectators at the university's games soon caught on, and the nickname stuck.<ref name="McCain Ranch"/>

Connors left Seton Hall after two years to accept a contract to play professional baseball.<ref name="McCain Ranch"/> He played on two minor league teams (see below) in 1940 and 1942, then joined the United States Army following America's entrance into [[World War II]].<ref name="baseball ref">{{Cite web|title=Chuck Connors Minor Leagues Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=connor001kev|access-date=November 10, 2021|website=Baseball-Reference.com|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Army recs">U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 1938–1946, National Archives and Records Administration. Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938–1946 [Archival Database]; ARC: 1263923. World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.</ref> During most of the war, he served as a tank-warfare instructor at [[Fort Campbell]], Kentucky, and later at [[West Point]] in New York.<ref name="profile"/>