Competitors Who Beat the Odds with Even Greater Challenges
There’s a tendency to believe that, to succeed at the highest levels of any sport, you need to be blessed with great health and physical gifts. While natural physical ability can play a part in any athlete’s accomplishments, the history of professional sports offers many examples of individuals who excelled even though faced with significant physical challenges. Here are a few who have inspired us with their grit, determination and courage:
- Jim Abbott—A left-handed pitcher born in Flint, Michigan, Abbott was born without a right hand. Even so, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school, but opted to play college baseball at the University of Michigan, where he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s best amateur athlete, as well as a gold medal as part of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. He played with five major league teams over a ten-year period and pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees.
- Tom Dempsey—A place-kicker, Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand. While playing for the New Orleans Saints in 1970, he kicked a record 63-yard field goal to beat the Detroit Lions, eclipsing the previous record by seven yards. Dempsey played 10 years in the NFL and had a career-high 108 points in 1973 while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. Dempsey’s record stood for 40 years, finally falling in 2013.
- Pete Gray—Born Peter Wyshner, Gray lost his right arm as a child in a wagon accident. He taught himself to hit and catch one-handed and eventually made it to the minor leagues, where he won the league most valuable player award in the Southern Association in 1944, batting .333 and stealing 63 bases. In 1945, Gray was called up by the St. Louis Browns and played 77 games in the American League.
- Rocky Bleier—A four-time Super Bowl champion, Bleier played football for the University of Notre Dame and the Pittsburgh Steelers before volunteering to serve in Vietnam. While on patrol, he suffered serious injury to his right leg and foot from an enemy grenade. Doctors advised him not to play football again. At the invitation of Steeler’s owner Art Rooney, he rejoined the team after his discharge in 1970. Waived twice by the Steelers, he finally earned a place in the team’s starting lineup in 1974. In 1976, he and teammate Franco Harris both rushed for more than 1,000 yards. He was a part of the first four Super Bowl triumphs for the Steelers.
