Dave was born on the day Bobby Thomson hit the famous "Shot Heard Round the World" homerun for the New York Giants. The younger of two boys, Winfield grew up in one of the poorer neighborhoods of St. Paul, Minnesota, learning to play baseball on local playgrounds. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 amateur draft, but instead chose to attend the University of Minnesota on a baseball scholarship where he majored in political science.

In his junior year at Minnesota, Winfield was a two-sport star. He was the best pitcher on the Gophers baseball team and a power forward for their Big Ten Champion basketball team. His senior year, Winfield starred as both pitcher and outfielder for the Gophers and led the team to the semifinals of the College World Series, earning himself the Series MVP award.

Following his four-year college career, Winfield was among the most highly regarded athletes in the country, with four teams in three different professional sports drafting him. The San Diego Padres selected him as an outfielder with the fourth overall pick in the June amateur draft and both the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and the Utah Stars (ABA) drafted him. Although he never played college football, the Minnesota Vikings selected Winfield in the 17th round of the NFL draft. He remains the only athlete to be drafted by three professional sports.

Just two weeks after being drafted, Winfield chose to play for the Padres. Never spending a day in the minor leagues, Dave made the rare leap from amateur baseball directly to the major leagues. Winfield quickly proved he could play at the big league level, finishing with 20 home runs and 75 RBI in his first full season with the Padres.

Throughout the remainder of the 1970s, Winfield's offensive game steadily improved. His spectacular running catches and rocket arm in right field earned him the first of his seven Gold Glove awards in 1979. Combining extraordinary instincts with incredible speed, Winfield stole 20 or more bases five times during his first eight seasons. In 1977 he was selected to the first of 12 consecutive All-Star teams. Unfortunately, the team finished with a losing record in seven of his eight seasons. In 1980, Winfield opted for free agency, signing a record-setting 10-year, $23 million contract with the New York Yankees.

Though the Yankees reached the post-season just once during his tenure with the club, Winfield's accomplishments on the field were outstanding. He became the first Yankee to drive in 100 or more runs in five consecutive seasons since Joe DiMaggio. In seven full seasons with New York, Winfield averaged over 27 home runs per season and narrowly lost the 1984 American League batting title to teammate Don Mattingly. His stellar play in left field also earned him four straight Gold Gloves (1982-1985).

Winfield missed the entire 1989 season due to a herniated disk, and in 1990, the Yankees traded him to the California Angels. Two years later, playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, he enjoyed one of the best seasons by a 40-year-old player in baseball history. Winfield delivered an 11th inning, two-out, two-run double in the decisive sixth game of the 1992 World Series to bring Toronto its first championship.

Following his championship season in Toronto, Winfield signed with the Minnesota Twins, and on September 16, 1993, joined the 3,000 hit club by delivering a single in front of his hometown fans. In 1995, following two years with the Twins, Winfield retired and finished his career with the Cleveland Indians.

Off the field, Winfield has continually been committed to improving the quality of life for today's youth. In 1975, he established the David M. Winfield Foundation, a charitable organization providing valuable services to underprivileged youth and families in need. Over the years, the foundation has supplied free baseball tickets and health examinations to children and awarded scholarships to outstanding high school graduates. In 1985, the primary focus of the foundation became substance abuse prevention. Dave created the Turn it Around! lifeskills development program for children ages 8-12, which has been adopted by major corporations and translated into Spanish to become the leading prevention tool in public schools in Puerto Rico.

In honor of his outstanding achievements both on and off the field, Winfield has garnered numerous awards including the 1992 Babe Ruth Award, the 1992 Branch Rickey Award, the 1994 Roberto Clemente Award, the 2001 Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota, the 2005 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Humanitarian Award, and he has received honorary degrees from Syracuse University and the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

In 2000, Winfield was elected into the Padres Hall of Fame and had his jersey number (31) retired by the club in 2001. In 2001, Dave was also inducted into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Since the majority of his career was divided evenly between the Padres and the Yankees, Winfield was given the choice of which team he would represent in the hall. He chose to be honored as a Padre, making him the first player to represent the team in Cooperstown.

After serving for two years on the Padres' Board of Directors, Winfield was hired as a vice president and senior advisor for the club in 2002. He has also served as a board member for the Morehouse School of Medicine, the Peace Corps, Hackensack Medical Center, Authentify, Inc. and the Major League Baseball Players Trust.

Dave's winning attitude carries well beyond the sporting world into his business, philanthropic and community involvement. His contributions and leadership in these areas have given him a unique perspective on business and community service. A respected motivational speaker, Dave delivers dynamic presentations covering a wide range of issues from sports, winning and teamwork, to substance abuse prevention, health, youth concerns and developing a positive approach to life.

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