[1][2] Driessen was born in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as one of eight children, all raised by their mother who worked as a maid.

[3][4] He attended Michael C. Riley High School (which did not have a baseball team) until his senior year.

His coach, Hal Young, wrote to Major League teams touting Driessen, and the Atlanta Braves and Reds showed interest.

[5] 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.

Driessen received the nickname "The Cobra" during his rookie season because of the quick, lethal way his bat struck.

He saw significant playing time that season as well as in 1985 for the Expos and then, following another mid-season trade, to the San Francisco Giants.

[9] In 1732 games over 15 seasons, Driessen compiled a .267 batting average (1464-for-5479) with 746 runs, 282 doubles, 23 triples, 153 home runs, 763 RBI, 154 stolen bases, 761 bases on balls, .356 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage.