Darryl Strawberry to headline South Coastal FCA banquet

Darryl Strawberry, now an ordained minister after a baseball career often detoured by drug addiction, will share the story of his fall and rise Tuesday night as the featured speaker of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Heart & Soul Banquet at the Sonesta Resort.

Strawberry won three World Series rings in a 17-year career, most notably with the New York Mets and Yankees, and was selected for eight All-Star games. However, he also was suspended three times by Major League Baseball for substance abuse and played more than 65 games in a season just once after turning 30.

It wasn’t until the early 2000s that Strawberry, with the help of his now-wife Tracy, finally overcame his addictions. He turned his life to Christ, eased out of debt and opened his own ministry in 2010.

In recent years, Strawberry Ministries has opened four drug treatment centers bearing his name, including two in Florida.

The Heart & Soul Banquet is the primary fundraising event for the South Coastal FCA, which is in 27 public and nine private schools in Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties. Email news@southcoastalfca.org for more information.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 8:57 PM with the headline "Darryl Strawberry to headline South Coastal FCA banquet."