Driessen was one of eight children, all raised by their mother, who was a maid, after his father died when Dan was six years old. He attended Michael C. Riley High School (which did not have a baseball team) until his senior year. He then went to Hardeeville High School in Hardeeville, South Carolina, which also did not have a team, but he made a name for himself as a catcher with the town team, the Hardeeville Boll Weevils. His coach, Hal Young, wrote to Major League teams touting Driessen, and the Atlanta Braves and Reds showed interest. The Braves passed on him, but the Reds offered him a contract.\n', '

Driessen was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent in 1969. He made his major-league debut at age 21 on June 9, 1973 in an 8-4 Reds win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Starting at third base and batting sixth, he had one hit and one walk in five at-bats. His first career hit was a ninth-inning double off Jack Aker.\n', '

He had a productive rookie season, hitting .301 with four home runs and 47 runs batted in. Driessen received the nickname "The Cobra" during his rookie season because of the quick, lethal way his bat struck. He became Cincinnati\'s starting third baseman in 1974, but was soon replaced at that position by Pete Rose.\n', '

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