Olympic gold medallist Rick Krivda was an over-powering and dominant southpaw pitcher for the Vulcan baseball team from 1989 through 1991.

Originally from McKeesport, Pa., and a graduate of McKeesport High School, Krivda set a single-season school record for pitching wins with eight victories in 1989.

The following year, Krivda set a school-record in single-season strikeouts with 104. The 1990 squad made Cal U’s first PSAC Final Four appearance since 1985. Krivda pitched 90.2 innings in 1990 which remains a school record. At the PSAC Final Four, Krivda pitched a six-hit shutout victory over nationally ranked Mansfield. The Vulcans finished second at the 1990 state tourney, Cal’s highest PSAC finish since 1983. As a junior, Krivda broke his own single-season strikeout record and led the entire NCAA Division II with 106 whiffs. The three-time all-conference hurler was also selected as a first-team NCAA National All-American. He played under retired Vulcan baseball head coach Chuck Gismondi and Krivda concluded his exceptional collegiate career with a 22-13 career record with a 2.54 ERA. He struck out 254 batters in just 227 innings pitched.

Nationally recognized, Krivda was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 23rd round of the 1991 free-agent draft.

Just as his undergraduate days, Krivda enjoyed instant success at the pro level. He was fifth among all Appalachian League pitchers with a 1.88 ERA with seven wins for Baltimore’s 1991rookie team. Krivda was selected Orioles Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 1992 and led all Minor League pitchers with 118 strikeouts and 17 wins. He was named to the Midwest League All-Star Game in 1992 and was the starting pitcher in the 1993 Double-A All-Star Game. He pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts in the 1994 Triple-A All-Star Game.

The crafty southpaw made his Major League debut against the White Sox in July of 1995 and picked up his first Major League win against Oakland in August. In 1996 Krivda made three crucial late-season starts that helped the "O’s" advance to the playoffs as a wild card. He pitched for both Baltimore and Class AAA affiliate Rochester in 1997, compiling a combined 18-4 mark. Krivda pitched for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Kansas City organizations in 1998 and 1999.

His 10th season of professional baseball proved memorable and historic. Besides returning to the Orioles organization and recording 11 wins with a 3.12 ERA in the International League, Krivda also played for the 2000 gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. He is the first Cal U student-athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. Last spring, Krivda pitched with the Memphis Redbirds, Class AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The son of Francis and Jean Krivda, Rick lives in Perry Hall, Maryland, with Christina Garst. They have a son, Zachary Owens, who is two. An active citizen, Krivda helps with a Reading Program in Baltimore and a youth summer camp in Wilmerding, Pa.