Ep 47: No Legs, All Heart - Dave Stevens

The Baseball and Business Podcast

Dave Stevens shares his remarkable story as a legless college athlete who also had the chance to play independent league baseball for the St. Paul Saints on Episode 47. Here are a few of the highlights from our conversation...
0:52 Dave describes the challenges he faced growing up without legs in Arizona and the resilience he gained from overcoming these trials
16:16 Dave recounts his tryout for USA Baseball in 1983 on the same field with some of the best talent in the nation at the time including Barry Bonds and Oddibe McDowell
20:00 Dave talks about his experience playing independent league baseball which included a pinch-hit AB for Darryl Strawberry
22:45 Dave describes the development of his career in broadcasting which eventually led to accepting a job at ESPN where he was awarded 7 Sports Emmy Awards over his career
Dave's story clearly shows the importance of focusing on the strengths you do have versus the attributes you don't.

Click here to connect with Dave on LinkedIn. You can also visit his website at davestevensspeaks.com to learn more about Dave and access all his social media channels.

Capitole

1. Ep 47: No Legs, All Heart - Dave Stevens (00:00:00)

2. Dave describes the challenges he faced growing up without legs in Arizona and the resilience he gained from overcoming these trials. (00:00:52)

3. Despite a turbulent childhood, Dave becomes the first high school athlete to play football, baseball, and wrestle at the varsity level, which lead to notoriety and success on and off the field. (00:02:38)

4. Instead of accepting his physical limitations, Dave articulates the development of a determined "chip on his shoulder" philosophy through simply finding a way to do what he loved, which was playing sports. (00:04:24)

5. Dave remembers a childhood friend who was instrumental in helping him develop physical skills in lieu of a "cookie-cutter" approach to playing sports with his disability. (00:08:20)

6. Dave describes overcoming the jump in talent that one faces when transitioning from high school athletics to college athletics. (00:11:40)

7. Dave recounts his tryout for USA Baseball in 1983 on the same field with some of the best talent in the nation at the time, including Barry Bonds and Oddibe McDowell. (00:16:16)

8. Dave talks about his experience playing Independent League baseball, leading to a pinch-hit AB for Darryl Strawberry. (00:20:00)

9. Dave describes the development of his career in broadcasting which eventually led to accepting a job at ESPN where he won 7 Emmy Awards (00:22:45)

10. "Stand out based on your personality and work ethic": Dave's mentality for overcoming challenges one might face in life. (00:28:01)

11. Dave's website: (00:28:54)

12. Connect with Dave on YouTube (00:29:19)