In a memorably funny scene from the 1980 Jim Abraham/Zucker Brothers comedy Airplane! a passenger asks for some light reading material and is handed a thin pamphlet entitled "Great Jewish Athletes". While it's true that Jews don't have as much of a presence in sports as we do in entertainment or academia, there are a few notable names on one field or another. The first one to be mentioned is often baseball legend Sandy Koufax.

The funny part about this famous pitcher for the Dodgers (both iterations thereof) is that his career in baseball almost never happened, several times in fact. Born Sandford Braun in 1935, his parents divorced when he was only three years old. Six years later, his mother remarried to a man named Irving Koufax and the family moved from their native Brooklyn to the Long Island suburb of Rockville. If the Koufax household hadn't returned to Brooklyn several years later, Sandy never would have attended Lafayette High School where Milt Laurie saw Sandy play baseball and subsequently recruited him as a pitcher for the Coney Island Sports League. This kept him in high-intensity practice in the years before he found his way onto the varsity baseball team at the University of Cincinnati.

Of course, Koufax could have found his way into the NBA instead. While he was undoubtedly a talented pitcher, Sandy Koufax also had a passion for basketball at an early age. He played for the varsity basketball teams in both high school and college, even attending UofC on a basketball scholarship. But it was Brooklyn Dodgers scout Bill Zinser who caught Sandy's gift on the mound, proving to the young pitcher that he could have a future in Major League Baseball.

Before ultimately signing with the Dodgers with the help of another scout, Al Campanis, Sandy Koufax tried out for several other teams in 1955. He so impressed the Dodgers' management that they offered him a contract and signing bonus equal to $20,000, the modern day equivalent of a six-figure deal. From there, Sandy Koufax began a 12-year pitching career that has gone down in history as one of the most impressive in the sport.

Though it may seem like an apocryphal story, it is true that Sandy Koufax refused to pitch in the first game of the 1965 World Series because it conflicted with Yom Kippur. Many a Jewish parent since then (I speak from experience) has used this incident as an example of the importance of religious obligation.

Sandy Koufax has a wall full of awards for his time with the Dodgers. He is a three-time winner of the Cy Young Award, two-time Babe Ruth Award winner, was named the 1963 MVP of the National League, helped bring the Dodgers three World Series wins and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame just a few years after his retirement. He had to leave the field at the tragically young age of 32 due to arthritis in his arm. Since his retirement, he has been a sports commentator and a minor league pitching coach.

Sandy Koufax cemented himself early as a legendary sports star. With a combination of raw talent and a principled disposition, he stands as a fine example for all aspiring athletes.