Arnie Turns 85

It's hard to believe but Arnold Palmer turned 85 years old on Wednesday. One of golf's iconic figures spent his birthday in his home state of Pennsylvania. The Latrobe native received a special gift with the naming of the new athletic field house at Latrobe High School in his honor.

After graduating from Latrobe High School in 1947, Palmer later established himself on the national golf scene. After going to Wake Forest on a golf scholarship, he left after the death of his close friend Bud Worsham and joined the U.S. Coast Guard.

After serving three years in the military, Palmer went on to win the 1954 U.S. Amateur and, the next year, joined the nascent PGA Tour. As a rookie he won the Canadian Open and thus began a legendary career that led to 62 Tour wins, seven major titles and 95 victories overall.

Though he later moved to Florida, where he bought the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando and started a golf-design firm and the Golf Channel, Palmer always found time to return to his home, which also honored him by naming its airport the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

He recently donated $1 million to the Latrobe school district for its "A+ Campaign," an initiative that has raised another $3.3 million and is nearing its goal of $5 million.

"To see this in Latrobe is just a great thrill for me," Palmer said during the field house-naming ceremony. "To be able to think about the future for Latrobe and with this stadium and this athletic complex is something I'm very proud of."

The high school's entire student body was in the stands during the ceremony, and the students sang "Happy Birthday" to the golfer known as "The King."

"Dedicating this stadium, which is beautiful, is something that I never thought would happen. I thought maybe they would dedicate the jail to me," Palmer joked.

He added he was very proud of his hometown. "I've been here my whole life and I hope to be here until it's all over, and I'll be happy for that," Palmer said. "I will always have my thoughts of Latrobe and my family. The fact that I was able to live here all my life and to be here for this dedication is really something."

The PGA Tour prepared a birthday video (http://www.pgatour.com/tourreport/2014/09/10/happy-birthday-arnold-palmer-85th.html) for Palmer that featured many current and past stars.

In addition, social media was ablaze with comments by various golf entities. A sampling includes:

Tiger Woods, @TigerWoods: "Easy money he'd shoot better than his age. Happy Birthday AP."

USGA, @USGA: "Happy 85th birthday, Arnold Palmer! A true #golf legend who continues to leave his mark on the game we all love."

Ian Poulter, @IanJamesPoulter: "Happy birthday "The King" Mr Arnold Palmer. True Legend of the game."

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