Episode 56: Sam Favata - Part 1

1544 Miles to Omaha

In Episode 56 we're talking with Sam Favata, the first Titan Alumni from the 1979 National Championship team to come on the show. Favata scored the winning run in the 1979 championship game, a 2-to-1 victory over Arkansas.
Favata was a two-time all conference selection in 1979 and 1980 and still holds numerous records in the Titan Baseball history books. Favata's 66 stolen bases in 1979 season still ranks No. 1 today for the most stolen bases by a Titan in a single season. His 116 hits in 1979 is tied for first with John Fishel's 116 hits in the Titans second national championship year of 1984.
In the 1979 season, Favata's .417 batting average led the Titans, beating out Golden Spikes Award winner Tim Wallach for the top batting average. That .417 batting average ranks fourth all time for a single season behind Gary Brown, Steve Woodward and Mark Kotsay.
In three season with the Titans, Favata averaged .363 with 22 home runs and 109 RBI. In 1980, Favata was drafted in the 13th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
This is Part 1 of a two part conversation and Episode 57 will cover Favata's time at the 1979 College World Series, his junior year at Cal State Fullerton in 1980, getting drafted and playing professionally. We will also cover his catastrophic head injury suffered while playing professional baseball and his miraculous comeback that was featured on the popular 1980's TV show, "That's Incredible".
Part 1 highlights include:
🎙️ Growing up in Southern California (5:18)
🎙️ Choosing baseball over other sports (8:11)
🎙️ Friendship with Steve Garvey (10:54)
🎙️ Hearing Augie Garrido speak as a teenager (13:31)
🎙️ Getting recruited in the late 1970's (14:10)
🎙️ Augie as a recruiter (18:21)
🎙️ Freshman year at Cal State Fullerton (23:16)
🎙️ Not a starter and almost quit (25:15)
🎙️ Becoming a Grinder (31:18)
🎙️ Being in the presence of greatness in 1979 (37:02)
🎙️ Coming together as a team in 1979 (38:38)
🎙️ Reactions to the few times the team lost (41:08)
🎙️ Hitting four home runs in a single game (49:01)
🎙️ 1979 Regionals at Fresno State (55:11)
🎙️ Preparing to go to Omaha (1:01:26)
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