Pete Rose was born into a white household in Cincinnati, Ohio, to parents Harry and LaVerne Ross.
With the debut of the “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose” series on July 24, 2024, on HBO Max, baseball legend Rose’s ethnicity and family life have come under the spotlight.
Known by his nickname “Charlie Hustle,” Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986.
Key Takeaways
- Rose’s father and uncle had an impactful insight into his baseball career.
- Rose has 4 children with his two ex-wives.
Born to a white family on April 14, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Pete is one of four children of parents Harry Francis “Pete” Rose and LaVerne Ross.
Since childhood, Pete’s parents encouraged him to pursue sports, and he played both baseball and football at Western Hills High School.
His father, Harry, who played semipro baseball and football, and his uncle, Buddy Bloebaum, helped him become a switch-hitter, for which he has expressed gratitude in multiple interviews. Rose once said,
“My father was the only person I ever idolized. He was a better athlete in that town than I ever was. One game, I took a half-assed swing at a pitch and didn’t run hard to first base. He said, ‘Don’t ever embarrass me in this town like that again.’ I learned the proper way to play the game from him.”
Pete Rose
Rose, coming from a white family settled in Cincinnati, continued to play through the 1986 season, finishing his career as the Reds’ manager.
The loss of his father in 1970 remained a significant emotional moment for Rose, even during historic achievements, such as the sellout crowd of 47,237 applauding him for seven minutes.
In the 1980s, when Rose heavily gambled on several sports and lost large sums, his mother, LaVerne, appeared to be a wreck in media interviews.
Despite this, homemaker LaVerne continued to unconditionally support her son. She often explained how she would lose her temper when defending Pete.
LaVerne once said,
“I’m afraid they’ll say something about Pete and I’ll get mad. I’ve got a fiery temper.”
LaVerne
LaVerne did not live to see Pete inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, a wish she held dearly. After a lengthy illness, she passed away on April 5, 2000.
Besides his parents, Pete married Karolyn Rose, with whom he had two children before they divorced. He later married Carol Woliung, also having two children before divorcing.
Since 2004, Pete has been on a journey to find the path of the Lord Jesus.
He frequently tours the country, signing autographs and appearing at various events to speak, despite being banned from baseball, the sport that made him who he is today.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Pete was the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 1963 and was voted for the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1973.
- The baseball player was a self-taught switch hitter who batted only left-handed during the final few years of his career.
- In January 2003, Rose admitted to betting on baseball games, including Cincinnati Reds games, when he was the team’s manager.
