A few years ago, I decided to see what it takes to be a pro. It had been 3 years since I had played college baseball, and at the age of 24, the door of opportunity was closing fast. Not knowing where to start, I called Jeff Curtis, the head coach at the University of Texas at Arlington, where I had last played collegiate baseball. Unfortunately my eligibility had expired, because NCAA I regulations give an athlete 5 years to play 4.
Out of time...
Running out of options, I decided to tryout for an Independent team in the Central League. Pete O’Brien was the president of the league at the time, and he granted my request for an individual tryout. Long story short, I completely humiliated myself after a horrible performance on the mound. You see, although I had always been an above average player all throughout my high school and college career, I had not played any type of organized baseball in over 3 years. Needless to say, I knew it was going to take someone giving me a chance to really prove myself, if I were going to go anywhere in baseball.
The old college try...
I had heard of Dallas Baptist University, but had never thought of calling them until I remembered that the coach at UTA told me that I would have to attend an NAIA school, because of different regulations set forth by their athletic commission. There rules stated that an athlete has 10 semesters to play 8, which was exactly my predicament. Now, if I could just convince a coach to take me serious.
A tough sell...
As I walked into Sam Riggleman’s office, Head Coach of DBU, I felt my chances slipping away before I said anything. This was the Friday before they started fall conditioning the following week. After a short conversation, Coach Riggleman did give me that chance I so desperately needed, and a little over a year later, I signed with the Florida Marlins. After being released during spring training, I played three seasons of professional baseball in two different independent leagues.
Giving back...
I built this site a couple of years ago to help guys like me realize their dream, or at least aspire to do so.
More About Me:
| Name: |
Daniel Henderson |
| DOB: |
08/30/77 |
| Position: |
Pitcher |
| Education: |
BAS - Dallas Baptist University |
| 2005 Stats: |
3-5 W-L, 4.7 ERA, 88 IP, 76 SO |
| Current Team: |
Retired |
| Velocity: |
88-90 MPH |
| Best Pitch: |
Change-up |
| Favorite Team: |
Houston Astros |
| Favorite Current Player: |
Roger Clemens |
| Favorite Former Player: |
Cal Ripken Jr. |
| Most Memorable High School Experience: |
Hitting a home run in the bottom of the fifth to put our team up by 3 runs to clinch the regional title. |
| Most Memorable College Experience: |
Batting clean-up against Oklahoma University, and coming in to close the game. |
| Most Memorable Professional Experience: |
Getting the win against Coastal Bend (04') in front of 100 of my friends and family. |
Dan Henderson's Career Stats
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