It all started for the New York Yankees when on a farm in Holly Hill, South Carolina, a boy was born to Jerry and Faye Gardner on August 24, 1983. That son was Brett Gardner. Brett grew up on that farm in the shadow of his Dad, who was a minor league baseball player in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. So it was natural that Brett would play baseball for the local American Legion post and also play the game when he attended Holly Hill Academy.
When he attended the College of Charleston in 2001 he decided to try out for their baseball team as walk-on.