A lifetime ago, before playing six baseball seasons in the Atlanta Braves’ organization, Jason Ross was a University of Hawaii power hitter with speed and range.
And then he decided to leave the UH football program the summer before his junior year in 1995 to play full time for the school’s baseball team.
The move worked out for Ross, who was selected by the Braves the following summer in the 1996 draft, but it spurred what-if thoughts. George Lumpkin, who coached the defensive secondary, said Ross had the football skills to play safety in the NFL. Ross was the Rainbow Warriors’ second-leading tackler in 1994, during which he made two interceptions in a victory over Oregon.
“He had the athletic ability to get there,” Lumpkin said. “He had the height (6 feet 4) to get there. He had the range. He was smart. It was one of those things. You don’t know if he would have (become an NFL player), but he had all the ingredients to become one.”
At the time, Ross was dealing with the demands of academics and playing two sports. “Physically, I was breaking down — my body, my knees,” Ross recalled. “I got to a point where I needed to focus on one or the other sport.”
After mulling pro-and-con options, Ross conceded, “baseball started to pique my interest more.”
Ross returns to the sport when he suits up for the alumni in Saturday’s baseball exhibition against UH at Murakami Stadium. First pitch is at 1 p.m. There is no admission charge.
“I’ve been playing a little softball here and there,” said Ross, whose workouts have been limited because of reconstructive knee surgery four years ago.
But Ross has been busy since retiring from baseball in 2001. He had set a six-year window to reach the major leagues — he ascended to Triple-A — and wanted to focus on a post-baseball career. Ross, 42, his wife, Kiana Tano Ross, and their children moved to California, where he has worked for Aerotek Recruiting & Staffing for 13 years.
His eldest daughter, Kyla, was part of the so-called Fierce Five U.S. gymnastics team that won the gold medal in the London Olympics in 2012. “We had no gymnastics background,” Ross said. “She was a strong-willed kid with high energy. We put her in gymnastics, and it took care of itself.”
Kyla Ross, who retired from gymnastics, is studying bioengineering at UCLA.
McKenna Ross is a defensive specialist for the Rainbow Wahine volleyball team.
Kayne Ross, 14, plays baseball and football for his high school.
“Watching your kids (compete) is more nerve-racking because you can’t do anything to help,” Ross said.
He said he looks forward to the alumni game. “I enjoyed it the last time,” said Ross, who played right-field in the 2014 game. “I had a good time.”
