Jim Abbott
- Former Major League Baseball Pitcher born with only one hand
- Male Athlete of the Year in the 1988 Olympic Games
- NYT Bestselling Author of Imperfect: An Improbable Life
- Shares the keys to adapting, persevering and removing obstacles to success
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California
Misfortune as a Gift | Jim Abbott | TEDxSageHillSchool
Set Apart: The Jim Abbott Story Promo Clip | FOX SPORTS
Jim Abbott Speaker Biography
Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of becoming a great athlete. Raised in Flint Michigan by parents who saw his condition not as a disability but as an extraordinary opportunity, Jim would go on an improbable athletic journey carrying him from Flint onto some of the grandest stages in sports.
Playing football and baseball Jim was a two-sport standout at Flint Central High School before attending the University of Michigan where he would become a 3-year starter, earning All-Big Ten and All-American honors. As a collegiate player, Jim was named the Golden Spikes Award winner and also the Sullivan Award winner which is given to the top amateur athlete in the United States.
While in college Jim would also play on two USA Baseball teams, first the Pan American Team, where he carried the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies at the Indianapolis Speedway, and then the following summer traveling to the Olympics in Seoul Korea where he would pitch a complete game 5-3 victory over Japan for a Gold Medal.
Professionally, Jim was selected in the 1st round of the MLB draft in 1989. He would play ten Major League seasons for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox, and Brewers.
In 1991 Jim finished 3rd in the American League Cy Young voting and in 1993 Jim would pitch a 4-0 No-Hitter for the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium.
Jim retired from baseball in 1999 and has spent large portions of his time supporting and advocating for those in the limb-difference community. Jim Abbott’s story serves as encouragement for all that is possible in the face of great odds.
Jim and his family spend time in Southern California and Northern Michigan.
ADAPT - Overcoming Challenges
Major League pitcher Jim Abbott was born with only one hand, but he adapted, overcame adversity and found excellence in his 10-year professional pitching career. Abbott knows that to continue to move towards our goals we must be willing to adapt, to change, and to mold ourselves in order to meet the obstacles in our own way. Using ADAPT as an acronym, Abbott strings together a powerful set of words that provide five incredible strategies to help audiences reach their fullest potential.
A - Adjustability
D - Determination
A - Accountability
P - Perseverance
T - Trust
May 1, 2024
Jim is a very personable and relatable speaker who gives a touching account of the life experience of being different but not thinking of himself as different. Jim was very good at touching the emotional side of the families who found inspiration in how he went about his life.
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