Dave Winfield
A towering, multi-sport talent who dominated baseball for over two decades, delivering a World Series-winning hit and amassing over 3,000 career hits.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American baseball player·Birthday: October 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dave Winfield was a natural phenomenon. Drafted in three professional sports—baseball, basketball, and football—he chose the diamond and brought an unprecedented blend of size, speed, and power to the outfield. From his start with the San Diego Padres, he was a complete player, winning Gold Gloves for his defense and Silver Sluggers for his bat. His high-profile move to the New York Yankees came with immense pressure, which he weathered to produce consistently, though a World Series ring eluded him there. Winfield's career found its perfect late chapter in Toronto; at 41, he laced a crucial double in the 1992 World Series, finally securing the championship that cemented his legacy. He retired with over 3,000 hits and 1,800 RBIs, a model of sustained excellence.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dave was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dave Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Dave's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Recorded 3,110 career hits and 1,833 runs batted in, entering the 3,000 hit club.
- Won the 1992 World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays, delivering the game-winning hit in Game 6.
- Earned 12 All-Star selections and seven Gold Glove Awards for his defensive prowess in right field.
- Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year of eligibility.
Did You Know?
He is the only athlete ever to be drafted by teams in MLB, the NFL, and the NBA.
Winfield never played a single minor league game, going straight from the University of Minnesota to the San Diego Padres.
He founded the Winfield Foundation, a charitable organization for youth, early in his career.
While with the Yankees, he accidentally killed a seagull with a thrown ball during warmups in Toronto, leading to a bizarre arrest for 'cruelty to animals' (charges were later dropped).
“If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.”
