James Anthony (Jim) Abbott

James Anthony (Jim) Abbott

University of Michigan Baseball Player (1985 – 1988)
California Angels Player (1989 – 1992, 1995 - 1996)
New York Yankees Player (1993 - 1994)
Chicago White Sox Player (1995, 1998)
Milwaukee Brewers Player (1999)

Jim Abbott was born in Flint, Michigan, graduating from Flint Central High School where he was a standout in football and baseball before attending the University of Michigan and playing baseball for three seasons. He helped lead the Wolverines to two Big Ten Championships winning the Golden Spikes Award in 1987, in addition to becoming the first baseball player to win the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the U.S. and was voted the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1988. He was selected as the eighth overall pick by the California Angels in the 1988 MLB draft. Abbott played for four different organizations during his ten-year Major League Baseball career. He pitched a no-hitter during the 1993 season while playing for the New York Yankees. Abbott retired from professional baseball after the 1999 season. Abbott’s number 31 was retired by the University of Michigan in 1999. In 2007, Jim Abbott was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the U of M Athletic Hall of Honor and was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.