Teenage and Baseball
Pride left home at the age of sixteen to play professional baseball in the Negro American League. After playing for several teams in Memphis and elsewhere, Pride entered the army and married Rozene Cohran, an ambitious and highly motivated Memphis woman.
In 1958, Charley Pride mustered out of the service to pursue a career in baseball. He was able to play in the Pioneer League for a short time then had a job in a smelting plant in Helena where he was able to continue his passion for baseball. Pride played for the plant ball team.
Charley Pride was able to have tryouts during the early sixties with the California Angels but unfortunately had his throwing arm injured.