The Hill, a new faith-based Christian movie coming to theaters this weekend, isn’t explicitly saying that God can heal “cripples,” but it’s not not saying that, either. How else does one explain The Hill true story, aka the inspirational tale of Rickey Hill, a disabled baseball player who made it to the minor leagues? It’s because Hill was a good, devout Christian who believed in God, of course!
Directed by Jeff Celentano, The Hill stars Colin Ford as Hill, a young man who refuses to let his degenerative spinal disease prevent him from doing what he loves: baseball. Like most faith-based movies these days, the movie also stars Dennis Quaid, as Hill’s Texas preacher father. Also starring Joelle Carter, Randy Houser, Jesse Berry, Bonnie Bedelia, and Scott Glenn, The Hill is sure to inspire Christian audiences this weekend. Let’s talk about The Hill true story that inspired the movie.
Yes, The Hill is based on the true story of real-life, Texan baseball player Rickey Hill. Hill was born with a degenerative spinal disease that gave him small, weak legs. He began wearing braces at the age of five, according to an interview Hill gave to the faith-based Christian magazine, Risen. “[My legs] were small, frail,” Hill told the magazine. “And then as I got a little older, it didn’t stop me. I hit rocks all day long anyway.”
Growing up with an extremely religious and extremely poor family in Fort Worth, Texas—he was the son of a Baptist preacher, who is played by Dennis Quaid in the movie—Hill says he spent upwards of 16 hours a day hitting rocks with sticks. That practice gave him a killer baseball swing, despite his weak legs. Hill beat the odds, and despite his disability, he went from star Little League player to a successful, though short-lived, minor league baseball career. He was signed in 1975 by the Montreal Expos, and played for four seasons, before his body gave out.
The Hill director Jeff Celentano has been working with Hill for 17 years now trying to get the movie made. And prior to that, Hill interviewed over 40 directors, looking for someone to tell his story, before selecting Celentano. Celentano told Risen magazine that he believes the movie The Hill is accurate to Hill’s story. “Dennis [Quaid] read the script and said, ‘Did this kid actually do this? Is this a really true story?'” Celentano recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah, I validated it all. It’s all documented. And he really did it.’ I have so much memorabilia of Rickey that I’ve collected over the years, just pennants and pins and all kinds of different articles on Rickey’s success and what he did. I said to Dennis, ‘I have it all documented in a book if you want to see it.’ He’s like, ‘No, I believe you.'”
According to a report from The Athletic, Hill is now 67 and able to walk on his own, though no longer able to play baseball. After many surgeries, he has nine screws, a 14-inch rod and six cages in his back. He still lives in Texas, is still a devout Christian, and recently threw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game, which was caught by his friend and Angels infield coach, Benji Gil. He told The Athletic, “Even though my age is the way it is, I’m going to throw them a bullet.”