Tim Dulin was always an athletic kid, and in the early 80s, he played baseball with The University of Memphis. He was drafted during his senior year by the Baltimore Orioles. For the next seven years, he played professionally until a torn rotator cuff ended his career in 1991.
While this setback was frustrating, Tim says, “It led me to focus more on the instructional side of the sport. I have always had a passion for helping kids and teens.”
This experience led to Tim getting involved with the development and consulting side of baseball. In 1999, he worked with Southaven to start the Snowden Grove Park, a facility that houses 17 baseball fields. It set the standard for all youth baseball complexes and continues to host more than 2,000 teams per summer.
Tim currently operates Performance Sports Institute located in Cordova, which trains athletes at all levels. He also coaches a very successful travel baseball team locally called Dulin’s Dodgers. Tim has given 10,000 professional lessons for athletes as young as five to those in the Major League. He has helped well-known players, such as Mookie Betts, who’s now with the Boston Red Sox.
Tim is all about helping others succeed. “I’ve worked very hard building credibility, and I have great relationships with college coaches all over the country,” he says. “Motivating kids and helping them and seeing them mature and progress over the years is very rewarding.”
Both of Tim’s children, a 27-year-old daughter and a 24-year-old son, are also athletic and have played sports most of their lives. Tim says, “Make sure your kids get involved with something they like. If they want more, give them more and don’t force it. Let them enjoy it and figure it out to reach their full potential.”
Last May, Tim suffered from severe back pain for several months, which eventually began to affect his ability to teach and coach. He learned at Campbell Clinic that he had a herniated disk. He became the very first patient in the Memphis area to undergo endoscopic discectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that helped relieve his pain.
“I wasn’t nervous because I fully trust Campbell Clinic,” Tim says. “My doctor, Dr. Gardocki, was wonderful. Everyone there is level-headed and knowledgeable about athletic injuries. Injuries are part of all sports, but now technology and doctors are so good. Whenever people get injured playing, I direct them to Campbell Clinic.”
Having ended his playing career due to an injury, Tim recognizes the importance of healing completely before returning to your sport too soon and making the injury worse. He is also conscientious of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Outside of baseball, he is interested in aerobics and enjoys playing golf.
“I consider it a good stress relief,” he claims. “It’s so different from baseball because you are the only person on your team.” He eats a healthy diet with lots of grilled chicken and lean meats and stays away from fried foods and sugar.
Unfortunately, sometimes injuries do change things permanently, but Tim likes to remind his players that “You can only control what you can control. Stay positive and you’ll hopefully be back on the field sooner rather than later.”
By Susanna Lancaster
Photo by Philip Murphy
