David Ross had a very successful baseball career spanning a decade and a half. He won the World Series championship twice, most notably with the Chicago Cubs in 2016 which brought an end to their famous Curse of the Billy Goat as well as the longest World Series championship drought in history. After that season, Ross chose to hang up his mitts, bringing an end to his career.
Since retirement, Ross has gone ahead to involve himself in other things, including making an appearance in Dancing with the Stars, becoming the first-ever pro baseball player to compete in the show. Follow us as we unveil interesting details about the career and personal life of David Ross.
David Ross Bio (Age and Background Details)
David Wade Ross was born on March 19, 1977, in Bainbridge, Georgia. The son of David Ross, Sr. and Jackie Ross, he was raised in Tallahassee, Florida. He is the middle and only male child of the family, having Shannon and Nikki as his older and younger sisters respectively.
Hailing from a family of athletes, Ross naturally gravitated towards sports. His father played professional softball while his mom played basketball, but that’s not all, a couple of David Ross’ uncles played college football. Ross’ first choice of sports while he attended Florida High School, in Tallahassee, Florida was baseball. He played for the varsity baseball team Florida High School Demons.
Ross posed such amazing stats in high school that the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him in their 1995 amateur draft. However, he ignored the tempting offer, choosing instead to attend college. He had earned a scholarship to attend Alabama’s Auburn University where he continued playing baseball.
However, his time with Auburn was short-lived, after his team was knocked out in the 1997 College World Series, Ross transferred to the University of Florida and played on their Florida Gators baseball team. With the Gators, Ross played in the 1998 College World Series joining the few baseball players to have played in the World Series with two different colleges.
Professional Career
The MLB’s LA Dodgers kept their eyes on him all the while and made a second offer in 1998. This time, Ross accepted choosing to forgo his final NCAA season. And then came June 29th, 2002, the day that Ross made his Major League Baseball debut with the Dodgers.
He would spend the next 15 seasons playing with quite a handful of teams. In 2005, he played both for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. His subsequent teams would come to include Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs.
His first World Series Championship came in 2013 during his return to the Sox. Following his retirement from pro baseball, Ross served as the special assistant to baseball operations in the Cubs for the 2017 season. He has revealed that he would be coaching baseball starting with his son’s baseball team.
David Ross didn’t immediately stay out of the limelight after retirement. He soon made history as the first pro baseball player to compete in Dancing with the Stars. Ross and partner Latin ballroom dancer Lindsay Arnold emerged as runner-up.
Since his retirement, Ross has been dedicating most of his time to working with numerous charity organizations in Chicago. Since January 2017, he has been working as a color analyst for ESPN.
David Ross’ Net Worth
Baseball made David Ross a millionaire. During his career, Ross earned an average annual salary of $3 million excluding endorsement deals. Some of his endorsement partners include The Bryzzo Souvenir Company.
His two-year pact with the Cincinnati Reds inked in January 2006 was worth $4.5 million. After becoming a free agent following the 2008 season, Ross signed a 2-year $3 million deal with the Atlanta Braves. His 2013 return to the Boston Red Sox happened after he had signed a two-year, $6.2 million deal in November 2012. The last contract of his carer was a 2-year, $5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs which came with a signing bonus of $500,000. All of these and more contribute to giving David Ross an estimated net worth of $11 million.
Family – Wife, and Kids
David Ross is a deeply rooted family man, a fact that he has many times revealed to the media. Thus, it came as no surprise when Ross revealed that his family would be his main post-retirement focus. Together with his wife Hyla, Ross has three children. Hyla was his high school sweetheart and they got married sometime in 2009. Ross’s wife is a licensed pediatric nurse who works in the intensive care unit.
Their kids include two daughters named Landri and Harper, and a son Cole. Per reports, Cole was in March 2014 rushed to the ER after which he was diagnosed with asthma. Ross and his family reside in Tallahassee, Florida.
Other Facts
David Ross is a practicing Christian.
His MLB career stats are .229 batting average, 106 home runs, and 314 runs batted in.
Ros batts and throws with his right hand.
David Ross suffered a concussion twice in 2013. However, early detection helped to prolong his career.
His book titled “Teammate: My Life in Baseball” was published in May 2017. It was co-written by Don Yaegar.
