Rheal Cormier (1997)
The most famous student athlete standout in CCRI history is Rheal Cormier. Coming from Canada, Cormier came into CCRI looking to make the most out of his opportunities. He was a two-time All-American, a unanimous two-time All-New England selection, he was 18-1 overall at CCRI, was NJCAA Player of the Year in 1986, led the nation in strikeouts with 1.53 per inning, led the nation in ERA with 0.35 in 76 innings, and was the only junior college nominee for the national Dick Howser Award. He was All-Tournament at the NJCAA Division I World Series (with the team finishing 3rd). In 1996, he became the first Canadian to receive the NJCAA’s Prestigious National Achievement Award and the number is retired at CCRI in honor of him and is the only student-athlete to receive that honor. Before getting drafted, Cormier pitched for Canada at the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul; beating the USA team and then he again pitched for Canada at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after his Major League career. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and finally made his major debut with them in 1991, being a named a starter. In 1995, he went on to play for the Boston Red Sox, reaching the postseason with them twice. In 1996, he pitched a shutout for the formally known Montreal Expos against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cormier went on to join the Philadelphia Phillies in 2001 and in 2003, he had an 8-0 record with 1.70 ERA in 65 games for the Phillies. He finished his career with the Cincinnati Reds, retiring after the 2007 season. In his career, he was 71-64, two saves and a 4.03 ERA and is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Cormier was very involved in his community, being involved with teenage anti-drug and suicide prevention programs in Canada.