Paul Pryor In His Own Words

The Life and Times of a 20 - Year Major League Umpire

Paul Pryor was a man of many talents. He’s remembered as one of the most highly regarded umpires in major league history, having officiated 3,094 major league games over a 21-year career (1961-1982). Before his call to the major leagues, he logged many years as a minor league pitcher and umpire, some under the most trying of circumstances. He was an accomplished and highly sought after banquet speaker, an outstanding writer and teacher, and a successful entrepreneur and businessman. But most important, he remained a devoted husband and father, whose family’s well-being was always foremost in his mind. This is the story of his life, written in his own words, in his own unique style, amply supplemented with heavy doses of his brand of self-deprecating humor. The story is edited by his devoted son, Fred Pryor. As you read along, you’ll discover Paul Pryor’s unyielding determination to fulfill his dreams of reaching the major leagues, facing and overcoming obstacles that would have stopped many an ordinary man. But Paul Pryor, affectionately known to his family as “Big Pops” was no ordinary man, as you’ll soon discover.