Derek Jeter is officially a college graduate — over 30 years after he first began taking classes.
The former New York Yankee announced the news via Instagram on Sunday, May 4, where he shared a series of photos from his graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan.
“Took longer than I planned since enrolling at Michigan fall of ‘92 to make it to graduation!” Jeter captioned the post. “Thank you @uofmichigan for the honorary Doctor of Laws degree and inviting me to give the commencement speech. Congratulations to the Class of 2025. Go Blue!”
The photos show Jeter wearing a cap and gown and posing for additional snaps with his family, including his wife Hannah Jeter, as well as his sister Sharlee and his parents, Sanderson and Dorothy Jeter.
An honorary Doctor of Laws degree is often awarded to people who have made important contributions to the public. Honorees are not required to take classes or be enrolled in the school that awards the degree.
Along with his honorary degree, Jeter was also the commencement speaker for the class of 2025 during their graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 3, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Per MLive, Jeter told the crowd of graduates, “Passion. Passion for what you do. Passion for who you are. Baseball was my passion from the time I was little. Find yours.”
His speech continued, “Fall in love with something — anything. Because when you do, you work harder to achieve it. It will drive you. You have to feel that dream in every muscle, every bone in your body because with every dream, every dream you have, you’re going to have to sacrifice your comfort, sacrifice your ease.”
Jeter was born in Pequannock, New Jersey, but grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He was drafted by the New York Yankees as the No. 6 overall pick out of high school in 1992 and made his major league debut in 1995. At the time, the Yankees were surprised Jeter was still available as the No. 6 pick.
“Derek Jeter was the best athlete available when we had the opportunity to select,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We feel that in due time he will become a front-line shortstop in the major leagues.” Before getting drafted to the New York team, Jeter had planned to play baseball for Michigan.
Jeter has been pretty quiet of late. In April 2024, his former teammate Alex Rodriguez revealed that the pair have patched up their sometimes fraught relationship.
“It’s been an incredible arc with Derek and I. We’ve been friends for more than 30 years now and we played together for a long time,” Rodriguez, 48, exclusively told Us Weekly last year while promoting his partnership with Lysol® Laundry Sanitizer. “The arc of our relationship, I’m really proud of where it is right now. I’m really proud of him and all the work he’s doing both in media, his business, and also he’s always given back to the community so much. So, I think we’re both in a good place and I think we’re both very happy to be working together.”
Rodriguez and Jeter both work for FOX Sports, and first met as teenagers in 1993. The pair played together for the Yankees from 2004 to 2013.
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