OUR MISSION
Our Mission
To use the legacy, philosophy, efforts, accomplishments, and wishes of Bobby Bonds as a year-long catalyst to instill hope by inspiring and encouraging all youth, especially those who are at-risk and/or low-income to discover and pursue their dreams to reach their highest potential
Bobby Bonds
Bobby Lee Bonds was born on March 15, 1946, in Riverside, California. He was raised in a family of premier athletes in the Eastside neighborhood. He starred in the Patterson Park Little League and was outstanding in track and field, once holding the state record in the broad jump. Bobby was named Poly High School’s top football player following his senior season as the team’s tailback, also being named Southern California High School Athlete of the Year.
But it was in baseball that Bonds would make his mark on the world. He was All-State in baseball and signed a pro contract shortly after graduating in 1964. Playing in the Giants' minor league system, he was Most Valuable Player of the class-A Western Carolina League. On June 25, 1968, he hit a grand slam in his third at-bat in his first major league game, becoming just the second player ever, and the first in Major League Baseball's modern era, to hit a grand slam in his debut game. Bobby Bonds was remarkable during his era for his outstanding combination of power hitting and speed; he was the first player to have more than two seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Bobby is one of only two players in major league history to hit 300 home runs and steal 400 bases, and also the only other player to have five 30–30 seasons. As a player, coach, scout and front-office employee, he was with the Giants franchise for 23 seasons.
In 1978, the Little League fields where he began his prolific career were renamed the Bobby Bonds Sports Complex.