We don’t know what happened to every baseball signed by Babe Ruth but we do know they were usually treated as treasured heirlooms. One such baseball has been associated with Gonzaga University in Washington since The Babe visited the area as a player.
The ball was signed by Ruth and given to Art Dussault, a center for the Bulldogs football team in 1926. Ruth had visited coach Clipper Smith’s practice in November of that year while on a barnstorming trip, even suiting up and practicing his kicking, according to school archives.
Dussault become a Jesuit priest and served in a variety of leadership roles at the school throughout his life, earning the nickname “Mr. Gonzaga.” He was a collector of various types of memorabilia and the Ruth ball was a treasured possession.
Dussault died in 1991 and the ball was placed in storage until recently where it was presented in a specially made shadowbox to another loyal Gonzaga alumnus.
It’s an interesting story you can read on the school’s website.