David Ross

David Wade Ross (born March 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball catcher who is the current manager for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball. Ross played college baseball for Auburn University and the University of Florida and participated in two College World Series. He started his major league career playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002 and also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Cubs. Ross had two World Series wins, one with the Boston Red Sox in 2013 and the Chicago Cubs in 2016. The Cubs named him their manager prior to the 2020 season. Early years Ross was born in Bainbridge, Georgia, in 1977, but was raised in Tallahassee, Florida. He was born into a family of athletes—his father, David Ross Sr., played in a men's softball league, and his mother, Jackie, played basketball. Ross's uncles were both football players in college. He attended Florida State University's laboratory school, Florida High School, in Tallahassee, Florida, where he played high school baseball for the Florida High School Demons. Ross is one of five children; he has an older sister, Shannon, and a younger sister, Nikki. College career Ross received an athletic scholarship to attend Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where he played for the Auburn Tigers baseball team from 1996 to 1997. In 1996, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League. The defining moment of his college career came in the semifinal of the East Regional tournament during the 1997 College World Series when he hit a walk-off three-run home run against Florida State to advance to the regional final. The Auburn Tigers would advance to the College World Series, getting knocked out in the 2nd round by Stanford. He transferred to the University of Florida after the 1997 season, and played one additional season of college baseball for the Florida Gators baseball team in 1998. Ross is one of the few players to have played in the College World Series with two different colleges, first with the Tigers in 1997, and then the Gators in 1998. Ross decided to forgo his final season of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility after his junior season with the Gators, when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.