Jim Morris, "The Rookie", is a top motivational speaker at PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency.

Jim Morris, “The Rookie”,  is considered one of the top motivational speakers and christian speakers on the circuit today and receives rave reviews for his appearances wherever he goes.

Jim’s story was the inspiration for the movie “The Rookie”, a Disney blockbuster released in 2004 that starred Randy Quaid. The movie won an ESPY for Sports Film of the Year. Sports Illustrated also voted it one of the five greatest baseball movies of all-time.

Jim’s childhood dream of becoming a major leaguer was cut short cut short due to injuries and, admittedly, a lack of maturity. Eleven years after his retirement from baseball, Jim bet the high school baseball team he was coaching that if they won the District Championship, he would try out for a major league team. As they say, the rest is history. Jim’s team won the District Championship, he threw 12 consecutive pitches at 98 mph during a tryout and was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Three months later in front of family and his high school team, Jim achieved his dream and struck out All-Star Royce Clayton with a 98 mph fastball.

Jim’s speeches resonate with a range of audiences. As a testament to his broad appeal, below are a few examples of recent events where Jim has appeared…

- As a Christian speaker, he spoke at a church’s Easter weekend services in California, sharing his faith and story.

- As an inspirational speaker, he spoke at school fundraiser in Tennessee that raised money to build a baseball field

- As a motivational speaker, he spoke at a sales meeting in Iowa attended by high-level executives of a major corporation.

Jim can tailor his message to the audience. Among Jim’s speaking topics are…

• Never Giving Up on a Dream
• Finding a Mentor and Becoming a Leader
• Taking Advantage of Second Chances
• Remembering Who You Are
• Keeping Your Promises
• Learning How to Laugh at Yourself

Below is a recent email we received from a satisfied client…“He was excellent. There were many compliments! The group really enjoyed his message He had them laughing. Thanks so much. He really delivered! Just right for my audience.”

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports speakers, athlete appearances, endorsement deals and celebrity bookings. We help assist corporations in booking Jim Morris and hiring Jim Morris for corporate events, endorsement deals, autograph signings and speaking engagements. Call 1.800.966.1380 for Jim Morris speaker and Jim Morris booking agent information.

Magic Johnson speaks at Basketball Hall of Fame honoring the 1992 Olympic Dream Team

Photo of 1992 Summer Olympics Dream Team

Johnson honored Chuck Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009), who coached the Dream Team to the men’s’ basketball gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Johnson went on to say, “I want to thank all these guys because it was my greatest basketball thrill was to play with all of them and to go into the Olympics and win the Gold medal.”

“Last but not least I want to thank Michael Jordan for setting the tone for us and a winning attitude the greatest player when he came in the door we knew it was all about business.”

Johnson went on to thank the rest of the dream team including Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen and Larry Bird.

WATCH VIDEO

After Magic spoke, it was Larry Bird’s turn to speak.

Bird made his acceptance speech and went on to quip about the 1960′s dream team:

“There’s a lot of debate going around, who had the best team, the ones in the ’60s or the one in ’92,” Bird said. “I don’t know who had the best team, but I know that the team in 1960 was a hell of a lot tougher than we were. Because I couldn’t imagine the ’92 team getting in covered wagons for eight days [the crowd starts laughing], going across the country, jumping in the Atlantic Ocean , swimming for six days, then walking 3,000 miles to the Coliseum in Rome … “For a dollar a day!”

The 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal winners were inducted into the Hall of Fame as well. However, unlike the 1992 Dream Team, the 1960 team were not allowed to play in the Olympics as pros. Even at amateur status back then they still blew away the competition by over 40 points a game, and had future NBA Hall of Fame inductees like Jerry West and Oscar Robinson leading the team.

Mike Ditka & Dan Hampton are two of PFP Sports & Celebrity Talent's most popular speakers

PFP Sports & Celebrity Talent Agency books many of the ’85 Bears for speaking engagements, personal appearances and endorsements, but works most closely with Mike Ditka and Dan Hampton.

Ditka seems to get more popular with age. Not only does he have two namesake restaurants in Chicago and one in Pittsburgh, he’s served as a popular pitchman for such companies as Coors and Charles Schwab. PFP negotiated his deal a couple of years ago with Circuit City, where he appeared alongside fellow Hall of Famer John Elway in a series of national print and tv ads.

Ditka was a popular player and even more popular coach for the Bears. In 10 season as head coach, he led the Bears to six NFC Central titles and three trips to the NFC Championship Game. He coached the Bears to the Super Bowl title in 1985-86.

Although not as high-profile on the national stage as Ditka, Hampton has also enjoyed success since his playing career ended. He’s the current host of the syndicated Pro Football Weekly as well as a local Chicago radio show on WSCR 670 The Score. He has served as pitchman for such companies as Chevrolet and Firestone and is currently spokesperson for Illinois Back Institute , a deal negotiated for him by PFP. He’s also a popular motivational speaker and makes personal appearances around the country meeting/greeting guests and signing autographs. In fact, just last week, he gave an uplifting speech at a high school function in the Chicago area.

Hampton spent his entire 12-year career with Chicago and is one of three Bears to play in three different decades. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and was named to the 1980’s All Decade Team. He finished his career ranked third all-time on the Bears for sacks and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.19

Both Ditka and Hampton reside in the Chicago area.

If you need information for booking Mike Ditka or Dan Hamilton as your next speaker or for an appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Mike Ditka or Dan Hamilton booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a sports speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, professional athletes, entertainers and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

Jim Abbott Baseball Icon, is a popular inspirational & motivational speaker

Jim Abbott was the underdog growing up. He was born with only one hand but had aspirations of reaching the Major Leagues.

As a youngster, he would spend hours bouncing the ball off a wall to practice fielding and throwing. He showed enough promise in high school to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays but chose instead to attend the University of Michigan. He led the Wolverines to Big Ten titles in his freshmen and junior years and had a career record of 26-8. He went on to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the outstanding college baseball player in the United States.

As a member of Team USA in 1987, Abbott became the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil enroute to winning the silver medal in the Pan-American Games. In 1988, Abbott participated in the Summer Olympics and led the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal after pitching a complete game seven hitter in a 5-3 victory over Japan.

After the Olympics, Abbott reached his dream of playing in the Majors. He enjoyed a 10-year career with primarily the California Angels and New York Yankees. His most famous moment occurred when he threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993.

As a result of Abbott beating the odds and achieving success, he received numerous awards, including…

• March of Dimes Athlete of the Year (twice)
• Academy Awards of Sports, Courage Award
• 1991 Victory Award recipient at the Kennedy Center Washington D.C.
• Freedom Forum’s Free Spirit Award

Today, Abbott is a highly sought-after motivational speaker and one of the most popular baseball speakers along with Jim Morris, Bill Buckner & Goose Gossage. From corporate sales meetings to charity fundraisers to baseball banquets, Abbott travels the country delivering his message of ADAPT: Overcoming Adversity. ADAPT is an acronym for Adjustability, Determination, Accountability, Perseverance and Trust. He resides in Southern California and spends part of his summers in his home state of Michigan.

If you would like to find out how to hire Jim Abbott for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Jim Abbott booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a  top sports speakers bureau &  celebrity booking agent for athlete appearances,   sports stars,  entertainers and celebrities.