Anton Christian "Tony" Brottem was born on the family farm in the northwest corner of Hendrum Township, Norman County, MN, a few miles southeast of Halstad, MN. His father, John Olson Brottem, was an immigrant from Trondheim, Norway, who homesteaded in rural Minnesota in the 1870s. Tony was the youngest of 7 siblings. At a young age his father moved the family to Washington state where Tony blossomed into a Major League Baseball player. In primary school at Pacific Lutheran Academy(now Pacific Lutheran University) he was a standout athlete in basketball and baseball. He was noted to have been the primary catcher for Oscar Harstad who also rose up and played in the majors. Oscar's father, Bjug Harstad, founded Pacific Lutheran Academy after doing missionary work in Minnesota and the Dakota territories while the Brottem's lived in that area.