McConnell was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama to Julia Shockley and Addison Mitchell McConnell,. His official U.S. Senate Web site biography omits his Alabama birthplace, stating that he was "Born on February 20, 1942, and raised in south Louisville". McConnell was challenged early in life when he was stricken with polio at age two: In 1992, McConnell teamed up with the University of Louisville to create the McConnell Center.