Former Michigan Baseball Phenom Jim Abbott Could've Played Football for Wolverines

Former one-handed Michigan star baseball pitcher Jim Abbott had a decorated career in both Ann Arbor and in the MLB. Abbott, a Flint native, pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees and finished third in the AL CY Young voting in 1991, playing for the California Angels.

While Abbott's path pointed him towards baseball, the now-motivational speaker could have had a path in college football — playing for the Michigan Wolverines.

JIm Abbott throws a pitch for the Tigers — RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Speaking to Hail Media!'s Co-Founder Doug Cohen on a recent podcast, Abbott recalled the great Bo Schembechler telling Abbott he could have played football for the Wolverines.

"For this generation or the last couple, at least, it's hard to describe the presence that [Bo] held in Ann Arbor and on the Michigan campus," Abbott said. "It was just so prevalent everywhere. He was around. He wasn't afraid to pop into different places and everything. He would come over to the baseball field from the Michigan football indoor facility. He would come over when games were going on. He would look over the fence.

"The famous story of him harassing Barry Larkin, telling him he picked the wrong sport. I know that he wasn't overly generous sometimes in his praise, but he was with me. I played high school football. I can't say that I ever truly understood the sport. I loved playing. I loved Friday Night Lights. I loved the different culture. I had a fun little run in the Michigan State playoffs. I went to Michigan probably 6'3 or 6'4, about 184 pounds. I wasn't a football player. Baseball was my path. I did love the interaction between the two sports. Him being around was pretty cool."

Taking the snap under center in football

With Abbott playing quarterback in high school, it's important to have two hands on the football for the quarterback position when taking a snap. In baseball, Abbott would pitch the ball, and then quickly place the glove on his pitching hand in order to field and ground balls that might come his way — so how did he take the snap in football?

"We were all under center," Abbott said of his offense. "Our offense was under center. I think that was pretty much the way it was back then, unless you were Andre Rison over at Flint Northwestern where they snapped it to you and you just decided what you were going to do with the ball afterwards. I do not even know that there were any plays. He just did what he wanted. I had to learn how to take that snap.

"I think it tells a great story of ingenuity, not on my behalf, but on our coaches. They took time out. I am sure there were discussions in that coaching room as I was making my way out of that field like how the hell are we going to make this work. It was just trial and error. Getting my left hand underneath there and using my right hand below. I used my forearm basically as a hand. If it hit my left hand, I could clinch down on it. Then I had it. The handoff to the running back coming over here to my left, the orthodox way would be to do it this way.

"The way Ricky Leach would have done it even as a left-hander would have been to hold it as a right hand. I just did a little backhand exchange just grabbing the edge of the football so to speak. Never caused a fumble. I was a punter. Of all the things I ever did in life, punting might have been the best, but no one believed me. I enjoyed it and I am proud to say that I mixed it up in that culture.

"We had a great run. We beat a couple of good teams in the state playoffs. Lost to Ann Arbor Pioneer. State semifinals, 14-7. Would have gone to the Silverdome. We had an extremely fast, talented offense. I believe if we had got to the Astro Turf in the Silverdome, we probably would have won the state, but Pioneer beat us 14-7."

Abbott's baseball journey

While Abbott was a dual-athlete in high school — he was clearly a baseball player. Playing for Michigan, Abbott posted a 26-8 career record at U-M and was the named the 1988 Big Ten Conference Male Athlete of the Year. He was also named a 1988 Sporting News College All-American and received the 1987 Golden Spikes Award and the 1988 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete after leading the U.S. National team to a silver medal at the Pan American Games and pitching the 5-3 gold medal-clinching victory over Japan at the 1988 Olympics. On Sept. 4, 1993 while pitching for the New York Yankees he tossed a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians.

He was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2004.

You can see the full video between Jim Abbott and Doug Cohen on Hail Media!'s YouTube page below.

— Sign up for the Michigan Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage fromMichigan Wolverines on SI —