Peter Edward Rose was born April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pete’s father, who played semi-professional football, was his biggest influence and encouraged him to play sports as a young boy. Pete Rose spent his childhood playing baseball with friends and later played for his local little league team and at Western Hills High School. After graduation, Pete Rose signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds and was assigned to play for the Reds minor league team in Geneva, New York. Pete Rose improved his game, and was promoted through the ranks of the Reds organization for the next couple of years.
By the start of the 1963 season, Pete Rose was the regular at second base. His hard working style prompted Hall-of-Fame Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford to label him “Charlie Hustle,” a nickname that Pete Rose would be known by for the rest of his career. He hit .273 that season and played in nearly every game. He was rewarded for his efforts that season and was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1963.
Rose‘s playing flourished from 1965 to 1973. He consistently batted over .300 and Pete Rose was an important component to the “Big Red Machine” that dominated the National League in the 1970’s. During this time, Rose played on four league champions and two World Series winners. In 1975, Pete Rose was named the World Series MVP, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and The Sporting News Man of the Year.
As a free agent in 1978, Pete Rose signed to play for the Philadelphia Phillies. Similar to his days with the Reds, Pete Rose was instrumental on the Phillies pennant winning teams in 1980 and 1983 and led the team to the World Series Championship in 1980.
Prior to the 1984 season, Pete Rose signed to play with the Montreal Expos. That relationship, however, was short lived. Pete Rose was given the chance to return to the Reds during the summer of 1984. Once he was told that he could both act as a manager as well as play, his decision was made. On August 16, 1984, Pete Rose was again a Cincinnati Red. On September 11 of the following year, Pete Rose established his place in baseball history when he set the all-time major league hit record of 4,192 breaking Hall of Famer Ty Cobb’s mark of 4,191. He totaled an amazing 4,256 hits by his retirement.
Pete Rose retired from baseball after the 1986 season, but his days with the Reds were not over. He served as manager from 1985 to 1988, helping the Reds to four consecutive second place finishes, and to this day is considered one of the best managers in baseball.
Pete Rose currently lives in Florida and California. He has four children: Fawn, Pete Jr., Tyler and Kara.
Categories: Sports
