ARLINGTON (1080 KRLD) - The Rangers announce a new fellowship program named after one of the team's strongest supporters.
On what would have been Charley Pride's 87th birthday, the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation announced the creation of the Charley Pride Fellowship Program.
"The Charley Pride Fellows Program represents a commitment from both the Rangers Foundation and the Texas Rangers organization to diversify the game of baseball off the field and in the front office," says Neil Leibman, the Rangers' president of business operations, chief operating officer and the chairman of the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.
The fellowship program offers college juniors and seniors of diverse backgrounds a ten-week internship program with the team's front office.
"One of my favorite quotes that Charley would always say is, 'There's enough room for everybody in country music.,'" says Ray Casas, the Rangers' director of community impact. "If he was with us today, we know he would say also, 'There's enough room for everybody in Major League Baseball.'"
The program goes far beyond a traditional internship.
"We're working on substitutive programs and projects, working with our front office from every department that you can think of, from business analytics to baseball operations to advertising (and) social media marketing," says Casas.
The Foundation will hire, train and support five Fellows per year as they rotate through three departments within the team's front office.
To be eligible, students must be juniors or seniors with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
A passion for and knowledge of baseball is helpful but not required.
Applicants must provide a resume, a cover letter, a transcript, a personal statement of up to 500 words and two letters of recommendation.
"We'd love to see more minorities work for the Rangers, and I think this is a wonderful program," says Rozene Pride, Charley Pride's widow.
Applications are due April 23, and selected finalists will be notified May 3.
The Fellowship runs from May 31 through August 6.