Tim Tebow to begin baseball career with Columbia Fireflies
March 20, 2017
Heisman Trophy Winner and Two Time National Champion to Begin Baseball Career with Columbia Fireflies
COLUMBIA, SC – Former Heisman Trophy winner and two-time BCS National Champion Tim Tebow will start his professional baseball career with the Columbia Fireflies, Mets Manager Terry Collins announced. Tebow will continue with the Mets in spring training at the team’s complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida, before breaking camp the first week of April and heading to the Palmetto State’s capital.
“Tim Tebow will bring major excitement and national attention to the Fireflies and city of Columbia,” said Fireflies President John Katz. “Baseball fans, sports fans and Tim Tebow fans will likely come from around the southeast to see him play. We expect this to add to the energy at Spirit Communications Park and around downtown Columbia, especially during our opening weekend April 6-9.”
Tebow signed with the Mets on September 8 and participated in three Florida Instructional League games, hitting a home run in his first at-bat. The 29-year-old finished 4-for-14 (.286) at the plate in those three games with two walks. Later in the fall, he played in 19 contests in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL annually features some of the best prospects in Minor League Baseball, primarily consisting of Double-A and Triple-A level players. Tebow finished with a .194 batting average (12-for-62) with two RBIs and eight walks. It was the first time the former NFL quarterback played organized baseball since his junior year of high school (Allen D. Nease High – Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida) in 2005.
Barring anything unforeseen, Tebow will wear his number 15 jersey when he steps on the field for the Fireflies.
“Tebow’s story is so compelling – from the BCS National Championships and the NFL playoffs to reinventing himself as a professional baseball player,” said Katz. “His humility, faith and unwavering commitment to better himself will bring a new dynamic to our clubhouse. Having a player that has achieved his level of success on two big stages will ultimately pay huge dividends for our players as they pursue their dreams of playing for the New York Mets.”
After graduating from the University of Florida as the SEC’s all-time leader in total touchdowns (145 – a record he still holds today), Tebow was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He started 11 games for the Broncos in 2011 and led Denver to an AFC West Division title and a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round – a game that ended with Tebow throwing an 80-yard touchdown strike to Demaryius Thomas in overtime. Tebow also played for the Jets, Patriots and Eagles during his six-year NFL career.
While in college, the two-time first team All-American and SEC Player of the Year twice played in Columbia at Williams-Brice Stadium. Tebow led the Gators to victories over the Gamecocks during the 2007 and 2009 seasons – the latter occasion with his team ranked number one in the nation.
Tebow is one of a just a few Heisman Trophy winners to also play professional baseball. Bo Jackson followed up his 1985 Heisman campaign by playing in both Major League Baseball (where he was an All Star in 1989) and the National Football League (where he was a Pro Bowler in 1990). Ricky Williams won college football’s most prestigious award in 1998 after spending parts of four summers as a Philadelphia Phillies farmhand. And Chris Weinke won the Heisman in 2000 after six years in the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league system.
Tebow joins a select list of NFL players who also played professional baseball. Hall of Fame inductee and Broncos General ManagerJohn Elway—for whom Tebow played while in Denver—played in the New York Yankees minor league system. Elway later went onto win two Super Bowls and make nine Pro Bowls during his 16-year NFL career. Others include eight-time NFL Pro Bowler and nine-year MLB veteran Deion Sanders, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson, nine-time Pro Bowler (and current San Francisco 49ers General Manager) John Lynch and former Atlanta Braves outfielder and Atlanta Falcons safety Brian Jordan.
Perhaps the only distinction that trumps Tebow’s athletic accomplishments is the philanthropic work with his eponymously-named foundation. The Tim Tebow Foundation has aided under-privileged and ill children worldwide financially and spiritually since its inception in 2010.
About the Columbia Fireflies
The Columbia Fireflies are the South Atlantic League affiliate of the New York Mets. Winners ofBallpark Digest’s Best New Branding and Logo Award in 2016, the Fireflies play games across the southeast and mid-Atlantic regions, including against in-state rivals in Charleston and Greenville. The team partnered with the city of Columbia and Hughes Development to construct Spirit Communications Park, a multi-use outdoor sports and entertainment venue at the center of the BullStreet development. The Columbia Fireflies are owned by Hardball Capital, owners of the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League and the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League. For more information, visit ColumbiaFireflies.com, or follow the Fireflies on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.
About Spirit Communications Park
Spirit Communications Park, the 2016 Ballpark Digest Ballpark of the Year, is a 365-day per year multi-use sports and entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Columbia, SC. Spirit Communications Park is the home ballpark for the Columbia Fireflies, the South Atlantic League affiliate of the New York Mets. Designed for baseball, concerts, football, soccer and a host of other activities, the venue seats approximately 9,000 for sporting events and up to 15,000 for major outdoor concerts. With 16 luxury suites and a 7,000 square-foot Club Level Lounge, Spirit Communications Park can also host everything from business meetings to wedding receptions, and everything in between. The venue is open 365 days a year and serves as a public park with the wrap-around concourse representing 1/3 of a mile for walkers and joggers. For more information, visit www.SpiritCommunicationsPark.com.
Individual game and partial and full season ticket plans for the 2017 season are now on sale. Visit FirefliesTickets.com, the Spirit Communications Park ticket office or call (803) 726-4487 for more information.
