The Boys of Riverside

The story of an all-deaf high school football team's climb from underdog to undefeated, their brotherhood, a portrait of deafness in America, and the head coach who led the team, by New York Times reporter Thomas Fuller.

"The Boys of Riverside is another example of how anyone can achieve their dreams, making what appears impossible, possible." --Marlee Matlin

In November 2021, an obscure email from the California Department of Education landed in New York Times reporter Thomas Fuller's inbox. The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, was having an undefeated season. After years of covering war, wildfires, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story of this group of high school boys. It was a sports story but not an ordinary one, built on the chemistry between a group of underestimated boys and their advocate coach, Keith Adams, a deaf former athlete himself. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus.

The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history. It follows the personal journeys of their dynamic deaf head coach, and a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father's car in the Target parking lot. It tells the story of a fiercely committed player who played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, as well as many other heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of players who found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, camaraderie, and deafness in America.