Rick Leach

Leach was a star quarterback at the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1978 and was a local hero when he signed with the Tigers rather than play pro football. After several seasons as a utility outfielder with Detroit, Leach was released and picked up by Toronto, where he was a star in the minors and a role player with the Blue Jays. Although his role was limited to that of backup outfielder and lefthanded bat off the bench, Leach demonstrated the psychological makeup that made him a winner in football, diving for balls a faster outfielder would have caught easily or a lazier outfielder would have let drop.