Flint native Jim Abbott took center stage at the ESPYs on Wednesday, earning the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and adding another meaningful line to a career that has always stood for more than wins and losses.
The award is given each year to a member of the sporting world who has pushed through major obstacles with perseverance and determination. Abbott fit that bill long before the trophy arrived. Born without a right hand, he became the first MLB pitcher to play with one hand, then went on to build a standout college career at Michigan from 1986-88 before spending a decade in the majors from 1989-99.
Abbott was recognized for opening doors for people with a birth defect, and he received the honor at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York from Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander.
“Being born this way, I knew what it was like to be different,” Abbott said during his acceptance speech. “I knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in.
And I knew what it was like to want to prove yourself and be on a team. Of all of the great blessings that sports have given me, that sense of belonging is the best.
“It’s taught me important lessons that it’s important to believe that you can do things differently in this world and still do them just as well as anybody else. It’s important to have focus on what’s been given rather than what’s taken away and believe in who you are.”
Abbott wasn’t the only figure with Michigan ties in the mix on Wednesday, though the rest of the local contingent left without hardware.
Connor Hellebuyck, the Commerce Township native and Jets goalie, was up for “Best Championship Performance” after helping the U.S. men’s hockey team win gold. That award went to Jalen Brunson, who led the Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973.
Megan Keller, the Farmington Hills native, was nominated for “Best Play” after scoring the golden goal in Team USA’s win over Canada in the Olympic gold medal game. OG Anunoby’s tip-in during the Knicks’ Game 4 win over the Spurs, which helped New York erase a 29-point deficit, won instead.
Hilary Knight, who was traded to PWHL Detroit, and Matthew Stafford, the former Lions quarterback now with the Rams, were both in the running for “Best Athlete, Men’s Sports” and “Best Athlete, Women’s Sports.” Brunson and WNBA star A’ja Wilson claimed those awards.
Stafford also fell short in “Best NFL Player,” where his new teammate Myles Garrett took the honor after setting an NFL record with 23 sacks for the Browns last season.
The U.S. men’s hockey team, which included Hellebuyck, and the U.S. women’s hockey team, which included Keller and Knight, were both nominated for “Best Team,” but that award went to the Knicks.
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