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Johnny Bench was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on December 7, 1947, and grew up in the small town of Binger, Oklahoma.
Johnny's childhood dream was to become a major league baseball player and his father counseled that the position of catcher was the most direct route to that goal. Taking that advice, he was selected and signed in the 1965 amateur draft by the Cincinnati Reds. After two seasons in the minors, Bench made Cincinnati's Major League roster for the 1968 season. This marked the beginning of one of the most successful careers in baseball history and Johnny's ascension as a celebrity.
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in January 1989, Bench is undoubtedly the greatest catcher ever as stated in The Sporting News in late 1998, in which Johnny was named the 16th greatest player of all time. His successes include National League Rookie of the Year (1968), National League Most Valuable Players (1970 & 1972), World Series MVP (1976), 14-time All-Star, and 10 Gold Gloves. In 1980, Bench set an endurance record by catching in 100 or more games for 13 consecutive seasons. In 1999, Johnny received baseball's esteemed honor of selection to the All Century Team on October 24.
After retiring from baseball in 1983, Johnny has maintained a sense of balance by using his celebrity status to aid such worthy causes as the Heart Association, the American Cancer Society (as past National Chairman of Athletes vs. Cancer), the Kidney Foundation, Franciscan Sisters of Poor Health System, the American Lung Association and the "Catch the Cure" program of the Children's Hospital of Cincinnati. He also supports the Cincinnati Symphony and the Museum of Science and Industry in addition to the Johnny Bench Scholarship Fund, which provides funds for students to attend college in the Cincinnati area.
Johnny has also spent quite some time in entertainment, logging thousands of hours in personal appearances on television networks such as ESPN and Fox Sports and has participated in events such as touring with Bob Hope's Christmas Show and visiting troops in the Far East during Desert Storm. He has also sung with the Cincinnati Pops, authored books, and was the host of the Emmy-Award-winning instructional show, "The Baseball Bunch."
Johnny's national broadcasting background includes nine years with CBS Radio, broadcasting the National Game of the Week, the All-Star Game, the League Championship Series and the World Series, as well as play-by-play on Reds’ television.
Johnny's corporate involvement is evident in long term spokesman relationships, both present and past, with the Cincinnati based Fifth Third Bank and national retailer, S&K Menswear.
Considered a compelling, entertaining speaker, Johnny has inspired and motivated audiences from the Fortune 500 executives to Boys’ & Girls’ clubs around the country.
Most Requested Topics:
The Vowels of Success:
A = the ATTITUDE that you have to have. The attitude that you take to your job.
E = the EFFORT and the ENERGY that you have to put into something. You know it really is not that hard to give somebody an honest effort.
I = for you as an INDIVIDUAL. Each individual has to have his or her own responsibility. Even as individuals, we must work together as a team.
O = the OPPORTUNITY. The opportunities that will come your way.
U = the YOU. You are very special and you always have to treat yourself that way. |
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