David R. Terrell was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is the oldest of his mother's five children. David attended Thomas Jefferson High School and was a highly competitive two-sport athlete in basketball and baseball. He was one of the highest ranked pitchers in the Los Angeles Southern League. Don Newcomb (Cy Young award winner), of the Dodgers, scouted several of his games and offered young David a walk on opportunity with the Dodgers. However, his good pitching skills and youthful arrogance led him to believe the Dodgers would wait on him, so after showing up two weeks late to camp, he was quickly shown the exit door. He learned a valuable lesson from that experience.