The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory

Thomas Fuller is an American journalist and the author of The Boys of Riverside. Although he is a passive character in the novel—quite literally watching the action unfold from the sidelines—he has an important influence on the California School for the Deaf, Riverside and its students. After receiving a report from the California Department of Education about CSDR’s undefeated season, Fuller wrote an article about the Cubs that went unexpectedly viral. Throughout the book, Fuller suggests that the success of his article had tangible benefits for CSDR.

Fuller dedicates the entirety of Chapter 12, “Fame,” to describing the effects of his article on the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, connecting the virality of his article to the subsequent flood of media attention the school received. Fuller notes that after the publication of his article, “calls from television stations and newspapers flooded the school’s switchboard” and “the school’s communication director received sixty-six requests from media outlets and documentary filmmakers” (77). Fuller indicates that his article led to unprecedented attention for CSDR—attention that boosted the prestige of head coach Keith Adams, who “received offers for the life rights of his story,” and the team captains, who were invited by “the National Football League [to] take part in the coin toss at the Super Bowl” (77).