| Curtis Pride to Receive NSCAA's Yeagley Award |
  Curtis Pride, a native of Washington, D.C., who overcame profound deafness to become a standout high school and college athlete and a Major League Baseball player, has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Jerry Yeagley Award for Exceptional Personal Achievement.
The award is to be presented annually by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) to a college men’s or women’s soccer player (past or present) who has demonstrated exceptional personal achievement and extraordinary accomplishment that transcend normal expectation, and who is or was an example and inspiration to his/her teammates and university. The recipient exhibits the qualities of sportsmanship, integrity, respect and concern for others, leadership, generosity and appreciation and should exhibit a strong work ethic and have the ability to rise above adversity. Pride received the award at the NSCAA All-America Luncheon Jan. 17, as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention in St. Louis, Mo.
Curtis Pride (left) accepts the 2008 Jerry Yeagley Award from the award's namesake, Jerry Yeagley (left) and NSCAA President Al Albert (right).
As a high school student, Pride maintained a 3.6 grade point average while breaking virtually every single-season and career school record in soccer, basketball and baseball. He also was a member of the U.S. National Team that competed at the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship in China. He scored two goals in the tournament, including a game-winner against Bolivia, earning recognition as one of the top 15 youth prospects in the world that year.
Drafted by the New York Mets out of high school, he negotiated a unique arrangement that allowed him to remain with the club while playing basketball on scholarship for the College of William Mary. He was a four-year starter at point guard for the Tribe and graduated with a degree in finance in 1990. He also played briefly with the William and Mary soccer team.
In 1993, Pride received a September call-up to the Montreal Expos. His first major league hit was a double that drew a five-minute standing ovation from a capacity crowd at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. He ended that season with a .444 batting average.
As a free agent in 1996, he won a roster spot with the Detroit Tigers. Staying with the club the entire year, he became the first regular full-season deaf player in modern baseball history. It was a breakout season, as he .300 and had 10 home runs and 11 stolen bases. That season he was selected as the recipient of the Tony Conigliaro Award, presented to the Major League Baseball player who best overcomes adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.
After moving to the Boston Red Sox in September 1997, he hit a home run in Fenway Park in his first at-bat with the club, becoming only the seventh player in Red Sox history to accomplish the feat. The following season Pride moved to the Atlanta Braves, where he hit .252 in 70 games, helping the team advance to the post-season playoffs. After a wrist injury and moves to back to the Red Sox and Expos, Pride signed with the New York Yankees on July 4, 2003. Two days later, in his first game in Yankee pinstripes, he hit a home run that generated a standing ovation and curtain call from the Yankee fans.
In 2004 he signed with the Los Angeles Angels, playing for the team for three seasons. He concluded his major league career with 421 games played, the most by a deaf player in 105 years. He has a career batting average of .240 with 20 home runs and 82 RBI.
On Nov. 3, Pride accepted the position of baseball coach at Gallaudet University. Located in his hometown of Washington, D.C., Gallaudet is the world’s leading university for the education and career development of deaf and hard of hearing students.
He and his wife, Lisa, are actively involved in the Together with Pride Foundation, which helps support and create programs for hearing-impaired children, focusing on the importance of education, learning life skills and promoting positive self-esteem.
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