For some sports legends, first jobs included garbage man, phone rep

Mia Hamm started out as a customer service representative. Before winning gold medals, Jennie Finch served burritos at a local food stand. The personal skills you learned in your first job, combined with your NFL experience, may help you move into the right job. Learn how to build relationships to leverage those skills.

May. 2, 2014 Reuters

For American sports fans, this time of year is something close to Nirvana.

The NBA playoffs. The NHL playoffs. The beginning of baseball season. The NFL draft. In short, a perfect storm of professional athletics.

Throw in the imminent arrival of the biggest sports event on planet Earth – soccer’s World Cup, which begins this June in Brazil – and sports fans can barely contain their glee.

But even our nation’s greatest sports heroes put their pants on one leg at a time.

Here, as the latest in Reuters’ monthly First Jobs series, we talk about the first gigs of legendary athletes. Not just any athletes, but those who could legitimately be considered the Greatest of All Time in their respective sports.

Long before they adorned posters on our childhood walls, how did they get their start – and what lessons did they learn?