In Memory of Pete Frates

Pete Frates, Boston College baseball alumnus and a champion for those living with ALS, passed away today at age 34 after living with ALS for 7 years. Pete was a true example of BC’s goal to be “men and women for others”, always helping improve the lives of fellow ALS patients while fighting the disease himself.

Pete played for the Boston College baseball team from 2004-2007, captaining the Eagles as a senior. An outfielder, he graduated from BC with 11 career home runs, including a team leading 5 in both his junior and senior seasons.

In 2012, Pete was diagnosed with ALS. Following his diagnosis, he was responsible for popularizing the Ice Bucket Challenge, which helped to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for ALS research. Pete and his family also set up the Peter Frates Family Foundation, which supports families of ALS patients in their efforts to provide their loved ones with top notch care at home.

Pete received many honors for his work to raise awareness of ALS, including being named the 2014 New Englander of the Year, the 2014 Sports Illustrated Inspiration of the Year, the 2015 PR Week Communicator of the Year, and the 2017 NCAA Inspiration of the Year. His jersey has been retired by both Boston College and St. John’s Prep, and St. John’s, Endicott College, and Boston College all have athletic facilities named for him.

We encourage you to join BC Interruption in honoring Pete’s memory by making a donation to his foundation.

Our thoughts are with Pete’s family and friends during this time. You can read their statement here.

Thank you, Pete, for always representing the best of what it means to be a Boston College Eagle.