Second in a four-part series
Bobby Valentine was born and raised in Connecticut and was chosen one of the most outstanding high school athletes in the history of the state, in a survey by Sports Illustrated.
He was recruited by the University of Southern California, whose football coach expected him to fill the shoes of departing All-American running back, O.J. Simpson, but he dropped out after meeting Tommy Lasorda, then a manager in the Los Angeles Dodgers' minor league system, who persuaded him to switch to professional baseball.