Did You Know: Professional Athletes Born In Queensbury

Queensbury may be known for our catheters, business parks, and outdoor recreation, but we are also the home for several professional athletes that have made their hometown proud!

Queensbury: Birthplace of Professional Athletes!

Brendan Harris

Brendan Harris grew up in Queensbury and led the Queensbury High School Spartans to the 1998 State Baseball Tournament. He attended the College of William and Mary and became a third-team College All-American and Colonial Athletic Association All-Star in 2001 when he hit .390 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI. As a professional baseball infielder, he played for the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and the Chicago Cubs. In February of 2016, he joined the scouting department for the Angels and is working on the MBA for Executives program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Johnny Podres

Johnny Podres (1932-2008), a former MLB left-handed pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, and Brooklyn Dodgers/Los Angeles Dodgers, Podres was named as the Most Valuable Player for the 1955 World Series after he pitched a Game 7 shutout against the New York Yankees. He received the first-ever World Series MVP Award by Sport magazine and won a red Corvette as a result. Later, Sports Illustrated named him as the Sportsman of the Year. This game was the Dodgers’ only Series title before they moved to Los Angeles in 1957 and again won the World Series in 1959, 1963, and 1965. After retirement, Podres served as a pitching coach for multiple teams between 1973-1996. In 2002, he was inducted in the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Joni Taylor, from the Ice Follies, settled in Queensbury until his death at the age of 75.

Joe Sylvester

Joe Sylvester (1893-1976), an American professional golfer and club maker, served as the first golf professional at the Glens Falls Country Club in 1914. Starting as a caddy, Sylvester went on to win the Greater New York Championship in 1910. He was forced to take a break from his career when he served in World War I, where he was wounded while fighting in France. In 1936, he was paired with Babe Ruth in a pro-am best-ball tournament at the Rockville Country Club on Long Island. Also known for his skills at making golf clubs, he was granted a patent for a golf club design in 1937. Sylvester died in 1976.

Adam Terry

Adam Terry grew up in Queensbury, playing high school football. During his junior year, he became a first team All-Conference pick, a first team All-State selection, and was named an All-East selection by Prep Football Report. After playing college football at Syracuse University, he went on to become a professional lineman for the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and Tennessee Titans.

Professional Athletes from Glens Falls

Jimmer Fredette

A gifted athlete from a young age, Jimmer Fredette attended Glens Falls schools. From a very young age his basketball abilities were clearly exceptional, and he ranked among the nation’s top 75 shooting guards by ESPN.com in high school. He remains the Glens Falls High School’s all-time leading scorer with 2,494 points, ranking 16th on New York’s all-time scoring list. He played at Brigham Young University where he was unanimously named the 2011 national player of the year in his senior year. His professional basketball career resume includes the Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans,New York and Westchester Knicks. In 2016 he signed with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. .

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan

Jim Duggan is a professional wrestler who grew up in Glens Falls where his father was the chief of police and attended Glens Falls High School. He was an exceptional athlete in school uggan earned his bachelor’s degree in applied plant biology. Duggan is nearing a 20-year anniversary as a cancer survivor and does a lot of work with the American Cancer Society. He now hosts Prime Time With Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sean Mooney on MLW Radio.

Dave Palmer

Dave Palmer is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He was born in Glens Falls and was a star pitcher on the high school team and went on to pitch for the Montréal Expos, the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers. Palmer is currently the Glens Falls Varsity Baseball Coach.

Dave Lapointe

Dave Lapointe was born in Glens Falls and attended Gens Falls High School. He graduated just behind Dave Palmer in 1977 and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, and interestingly, was a member of the team that defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1982 World Series. Lapointe has a long professional resume, pitching for the San Francisco Giants, the Detroit Tigers, the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees. Lapointe went on to manage a number of independent professional leagues.

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