Vernon Wells III (born December 8, 1978, in
Shreveport, Louisiana) is a Major League Baseball
player for the Toronto Blue Jays. Wells has appeared
on two all star teams in his career, and been
awarded three Gold Gloves.
Vernon Wells was born in Shreveport but grew up in
Arlington, Texas, where his family moved in 1988.
During a Little League practice he was smacked in
the face with a groundball, a misfortune that led to
him becoming a stellar center fielder (he won
consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2004, 2005, and
2006). In 1993, Wells entered Arlington's Bowie High
School where he starred as a quarterback on the
football team and as an outfielder on the baseball
team. In his senior year, he batted .565 with 7 home
runs and 20 RBI. Before choosing to enter the Major
League Baseball Draft, Vernon entertained the idea
of going to the University of Texas at Austin to
play both football (as a wide receiver) and
baseball.
