CORNING AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

Joel Stephens is known to many as the most prolific athlete to grace local sports fans since the great Elmira Express, Ernie Davis.  Joel was a three-sport standout in football, basketball, and baseball at Elmira Notre Dame High School.  During his career at Notre Dame, Joel emerged as one of the premiere athletes in New York State.  Joel holds many state and local records including the title of All-Time leading rusher in the Southern Tier and the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 1994.  As an athlete at Notre Dame, Joel participated in the Keystone State Games in baseball, basketball, and wrestling.  He also earned the distinct honor of being named a member of the Eastern USA Junior Olympic Baseball Team.  As a starting member of the team, Joel batted an impressive.333 against some of the best pitchers in America.  Following Joel's graduation he was faced with the tough decision of attending college, where he was being recruited for football and baseball by a number of Division 1 colleges or entering the Major League Baseball Draft.  After signing a letter of intent to play baseball at Clemson University, Joel was selected in the draft by the Baltimore Orioles, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete.  After playing three years in the Orioles organization, Joel was diagnosed with colon cancer following the removal of a large tumor.  Although Joel was given only six months to live, he lived a full life during those short months.  He was an exceptional athlete, but more importantly, he had a unique capacity to touch and influence others around him regardless of race, relgion or status.  He was a young man who openly share his wit, tenderness, generosity, strength, and his faith without pretence.  He was indeed as unique and rare as the cancer that took his life.

Although Joel is no longer with us physically, he is here in spirit, and his legacy continues to live on in the lives of every talented young athlete who is driven by true love of the game.