WILLIAMSBURG— William & Mary men’s basketball alum and former Major League Baseball player Curtis Pride ’90 will be back on campus on Wednesday, April 9, for an event sponsored by the American Sign Language Club.
The event will be held at Washington Hall (241 Jamestown Road), Room 201, from 6-8 p.m. Pride will share about his incredible life, his time at W&M as a Deaf student and athlete, and his new book “I Felt the Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride.” Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Pride, purchase his book and have it signed from 7-8 p.m. Visit Tribe Link for more information and to RSVP.
Pride played basketball at William & Mary from 1987-90. He started 76 of his 94 career games and finished with 528 career points. Pride led the Tribe in assists in 1988 and 1990. He was a CAA All-Rookie Team selection in 1987 and was named to the CAA All-Defensive Team in 1988 and 1989. Pride still ranks among the Tribe’s career leaders in total assists, 15th at 287, and assists average, 11th at 3.1.
Pride was the first deaf player to reach the big leagues since 1945 when he made his pro debut with the Montreal Expos. He spent 11 seasons in the majors with the Expos, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels. Most recently, he served as the head coach for the Gallaudet University Bisons from 2009-24.
Pride was named to MLB’s Department of Diversity and Inclusion in 2015 and worked with the MLB Office of the Commissioner as the league’s Ambassador for Inclusion with a primary focus on people with disabilities.