Pete Frates

John Peter Frates III

Early life Pete Frates was born on December 28, 1984, in Beverly, Massachusetts. He grew up playing many sports, including baseball, hockey, and football. Additionally, Frates was awarded Catholic Conference Honorable Mention recognition in hockey, and he also won St. John's Athletic Director's award in his senior year. At Boston College, he played outfield from 2004 to 2007 and was elected team captain during his senior year. As a junior and a senior, he finished first on the team in home runs. Frates' eight RBIs set the Boston College baseball record for the most RBIs recorded in a single game, which still stands as of 2019.

Professional career Upon graduating from Boston College in 2007, Frates continued playing baseball in Connecticut, the Hawaiian Winter Baseball league in Honolulu, and the German Baseball League in Hamburg. While playing in Germany, he also coached young German baseball players. He also traveled all over Europe with his best friend from high school and one of his teammates. Participants in the challenge included Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Julian Edelman, Red Sox owner John Henry, Charlie Baker, Marty Walsh, Matt Ryan, David Beckham, Lebron James, Lady Gaga, George W. Bush, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Ethel Kennedy, and Angela Merkel. In 2016, a global sequencing effort funded by donations to the ALS Association from the challenge led to the discovery of a new gene tied to ALS, which could help scientists find a cure. The discovery also fueled investment in new communication technologies for ALS patients and helped move experimental treatments to clinical trials. Lou Gehrig Day is now recognized in the MLB on June 2, which is the date that Gehrig became the Yankees' starting first baseman and also the date he died.

On October 22, 2014, prior to Game 2 of the World Series, the MLB recognized Frates for his work with a silver ice bucket from Bud Selig. Frates was unable to travel to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City for the ceremony, but his parents and siblings accepted the bucket on his behalf. On April 13, 2015, which was Opening Day of the Red Sox season, the team signed him to an honorary contract, and on September 6, 2019, the Red Sox gifted Frates a custom 2018 World Series Ring.

Frates was the recipient of several other honors and awards as well. In 2014, he was named Sports Illustrateds Inspiration of the Year, and in 2015 ESPN made a "SportsCenter" documentary about him, which was nominated for an Emmy. In 2017, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Mark Emmert awarded Frates the National Collegiate Athletic Association Inspiration Award. In the same year, September 5 was named "Pete Frates Day" in Boston by former Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh. September 5 also saw the release of Ice Bucket Challenge: Pete Frates and the Fight Against ALS, a book written by BC alumnus Dave Wedge and Casey Sherman about Frates' life. The two authors donated half of their proceeds from the book's sales to the Frates family. Also in 2017, former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill marking the first month of August in Massachusetts "Ice Bucket Challenge Week" in honor of Frates' activist work. In December 2018, Casey Affleck and Alison Greenspan agreed to help create a Netflix film about Frates.

Personal life On June 1, 2013, Frates married Julie Kowalik, who he had met while they were both students at Boston College. During the ceremony, which took place in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Frates got out of his wheelchair to walk Kowalik down the aisle. On August 31, 2014, their daughter, Lucy Fitzgerald, was born.

Frates died at the age of 34 on December 9, 2019.