Forty years ago today, St. Paul native Dave Winfield was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1973 MLB Draft. He was selected fourth overall, behind David Clyde (Texas), John Stearns (Phildelphia) and Robin Yount (Milwaukee).
He would go on to a Hall of Fame career with the Padres, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins and Indians.
To this day, he’s one of three athletes to be drafted by three professional sports (baseball, football, basketball) and the only person to be drafted by four leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, ABA).
It didn’t take him long to jump from the University of Minnesota to the Padres outfield, as he made his San Diego debut 12 days after being drafted.
