Dave Clark
Only Pro Baseball Player To Pitch From His Crutches
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Ft. Meyers, Fl, United States
Dave Clark
Biography
Dave Clark is a remarkable pro baseball player who has overcome tremendous odds to achieve his dreams. Born in 1952 in the small town of Corning, NY, Dave was diagnosed with polio at 10 months. This left him with a permanent disability and could only walk with crutches and braces. Despite this challenge, Dave was determined to pursue his love for sports and began playing at a young age.
Dave faced many obstacles, including exclusion from participating in elementary school phys-ed, baseball leagues, and more due to his perceived limitations. However, he refused to let this hold him back. With the help of his parents’ pursuits of the Little League HQ leaders, Dave was allowed to play. And play he did.
Despite facing skepticism Dave continued to work hard and proved himself on the field which led to a 17 year minor league playing career and 55+ years in pro sports as a coach, owner, manager, speaker, author and disability advocate.
Dave is a 3 time Championship manager in Sweden, Atlanta Braves pitching coach, Olympic Coach, and he still owns the famous Indianapolis Clowns.
Dave Clark hosts the Pulling Each Other Along Podcast (PEOA), and presents the PEOA Award to many unsung heroes throughout the years at the Disability Dream & Do (D3Day) Sports events.
Dave Clark lives by his own quote, "There are two types of Dreamers, dreamers that dream, and dreamers that DREAM & DO!" Dave Clark falls into the second category of dreamers. Dreamers that DREAM & DO.
Dave Clark
Featured Video
Current: Ted Talk - The Day Empathy One
Time 13:26
Dave Clark
Featured Keynote Programs
Pulling Each Other Along
Inspiring and encouraging others is essential to a life well-lived. Dave Clark shares how a simple act of kindness from a first grade classmate, changed the course of his entire life. He shares how Inspiring and encouraging others is essential to a life well-lived.
Dream and Do
The mind is your most important muscle, and at ten months old, Dave Clark’s parents were told that their polio stricken son would do well if he could only use his mind. How right that doctor was! Dave accomplished more than anyone could have imagined through his will and mental approach to life’s challenges.
Take Aways:
Analyzing one's strengths
Planning and implementing a master plan one small goal at a time
Work on Your Strengths
“Strengthen what you're good at...” says Dave Clark. Knowing and honing your best attributes is essential to accomplishing your goals. Just 5’2” tall and walking with crutches, Dave Clark focused on where he could have the most success, on the baseball diamond. Blessed with a good arm and relentless determination, Dave practiced and practiced until he perfected his best pitch, a floating and nearly unhittable knuckleball. Dave took a strength and turned it into a 10 year professional baseball career, followed by a 30 plus year career as a coach, manager, scout, announcer and professional baseball team owner.
A.W.A. = Real Success
Attitude, Work Ethic and Ability. With two of these, you can have success, but with all three you can be a superstar! Dave discusses each of the the key elements to his formula for real success and will inspire your audience to apply it to their own lives.
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