Hal Rice was born as Harold Housten Rice on February 11, 1924, in Morganette, West Virginia, to the parents George and Bertha (Hale) Rice. He attended Ball State University, a public coeducational research university in Muncie, Indiana. Despite his future in playing major league baseball, Hal never played for The Ball State Cardinals, while he attended the school. Hal was only one of four major leaguers to never play for the BSU Cardinals but attend the school, along with Mike Dimmel, Harley Grossman, and Steve Hargan.\n', '

Rice began his professional baseball career in 1941 by signing to the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent at the age of 17 years. His first professional team was the Williamson Red Birds, the St. Louis Cardinals class D affiliated team in Williamson, West Virginia. In 1941, Rice would end his first season in professional baseball batting .258 for the red birds. In 1942, Rice hit .349 for Williamson, prompting his promotion to the class B team, The Asheville Tourists. Rice struggled with his stint on the Tourists batting a .204 average.Despite his struggles on the tourists, his combined batting average for 1942 was a .303, ending his first stint in the minors.\n', '

In the early to mid-1940s baseball players from all across the country, joined the military to help out with the war effort after the United States became involved in World War II on December 7, 1941 because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Much like Rice\'s baseball peers, he also decided to also enlist in the military, so after Rice’s 1942 season, he joined the army to help out. He served in the military for three years, 1943-1945. While in the army, Rice was a tank Lieutenant in the pacific theater. Rice was later awarded the Purple Heart for his involvement in the war.\n', '

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