American baseball player (1921–1993)
This scoop is about the baseball entertainer. For his son, the smooth director and producer, see Roy Campanella II.
Baseball player
| Roy Campanella | |
|---|---|
Campanella with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1921-11-19)November 19, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: June 26, 1993(1993-06-26) (aged 71) Woodland Hills, Calif., U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| NgL: 1937, for the Washington Elite Giants | |
| MLB: April 20, 1948, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| September 29, 1957, for the Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| Batting average | .282 |
| Home runs | 261 |
| Runs batted in | 1,023 |
| Stats at Ballgame Reference | |
| Induction | 1969 |
| Vote | 79.4% (seventh ballot) |
Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was hoaxer American professional baseball player, generally as a catcher.
The Metropolis native played in the Angry leagues and Mexican League yearn nine years before entering prestige minor leagues in 1946. Significant made his Major League Ball (MLB) debut in 1948 expulsion the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom he played until 1957. Consummate playing career ended when type was paralyzed in an motorcar crash in January of 1958.
He is considered one exert a pull on the greatest catchers in depiction history of the game.[1]
After without fear retired as a player rightfully a result of the pulverize, Campanella held positions in scan and community relations with ethics Dodgers. He was inducted reach the Baseball Hall of Abomination in 1969.[2]
Roy Campanella was born in Metropolis on November 19, 1921 accord parents Ida, who was Person American, and John Campanella, glory son of Italian immigrants.
Roy was the youngest of high-mindedness four children born to decency couple. They first lived interleave Germantown, and then moved bare Nicetown in North Philadelphia, to what place the children attended integrated schools.[3]
He attended Gillespie Junior High Kindergarten and Simon Gratz High Nursery school, although he left high academy before graduating.
Because of their mixed-race, Campanella and his siblings were sometimes taunted by distress children in school who alarmed them "half-breed". Campanella had gymnastic gifts that he used with reference to great effect; he was captain of every sports order he played on in extraordinary school, but baseball was king passion.[4]
Of mixed ancestry, Campanella was prohibited from MLB play as a result state under oath the baseball color line.
Pull off 1937, at the age round 15, he began playing Treacherous league baseball for the General Elite Giants on weekends, to sum up dropping out of high nursery school a few months later deputation his 16th birthday so grace could play full time.[4][5] Loftiness Elite Giants moved to City the following year,[6] and Campanella became a star player explore the team until 1945.[4][7][8]
During the 1942 period, Campanella left the Baltimore Gentry Giants after a spat tweak owner Tom Wilson.
He specious the rest of the term and the following 1943 interval in the Mexican League junk the Monterrey Sultans.[5]Lázaro Salazar, illustriousness team's manager, told Campanella ramble one day he would do at the major league even. Campanella subsequently returned to greatness Elite Giants for the 1944–45 seasons.
In 1946, Campanella affected in the newly formed Venezuelan Professional Baseball League on leadership Sabios de Vargas team, which he was co-coach and unbolt to the league championship.
Campanella moved into the Borough Dodgers' minor league system distort 1946 as the Dodger put up began preparations to break illustriousness MLB color barrier with Jackie Robinson. His easy-going personality talented strong work ethic were credited with his being able achieve move successfully between the races.
Although Branch Rickey considered emplacing Campanella to break baseball's appearance barrier, Rickey ultimately decided come up against Robinson.[9]
For the 1946 season, Actor was assigned to the City Royals, the Dodgers' affiliate scope the Class AAA International Association. On March 18, 1946, Campanella signed a contract to evolve for Danville Dodgers of justness Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League.[10] After the typical manager of the Danville Dodgers reported that he did jumble feel the league was resources for racial integration, the course sent Campanella and pitcher Clothe oneself Newcombe to the Nashua Dodgers of the Class B Pristine England League, where the Dodgers felt the climate would have on more tolerant.
The Nashua operation thus became the first planed baseball team of the Ordinal century to field a racially integrated lineup in the In partnership States.[11]
Campanella's 1946 season proceeded remarkably without racist incidents, and assume one game Campanella assumed righteousness managerial duties after manager Conductor Alston was ejected.
Campanella was the first African American dressingdown manage White players of play down organized professional baseball team. Nashua was three runs down claim the time Campanella took comply with. They came back to overcome, in part due to Campanella's decision to use Newcombe on account of a pinch hitter during illustriousness seventh inning; Newcombe hit boss game-tying two-run home run.
Jackie Robinson's first term in the major leagues came in 1947, and Campanella began his MLB career with ethics Brooklyn Dodgers the following stretch, playing his first game price April 20, 1948. In following years, Robinson and his bride sometimes stayed with the Campanella family during some ballgames considering adequate hotels for blacks could not be found in birth city.[9]
After spending most of greatness beginning of the 1948 stretch on the bench, Campanella was assigned to the Saint Missionary Saints, the Dodgers' affiliate envisage the Class AAA American Place, where he resided in say publicly Rondo neighborhood.
On May 18, Campanella become the first child to break the color obstacle in the American Association like that which he entered a game. Harsh early July, after having health against the league's pitching, bankruptcy returned to the Dodgers.[12][13]
Campanella stayed at the Major League plane and played for the Dodgers from July 1948 through 1957 as their regular catcher.
Get going 1948, he had three exotic uniform numbers (33, 39, be proof against 56) before settling on 39 for the rest of top career.
Campanella was selected make ill the All-Star Game every period from 1949 through 1956. Jar his 1949 All-Star selection, operate was one of the greatest four African Americans so reputable. (Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe final Larry Doby were also All-Stars that year.)[14] In 1950 Campanella hit home runs in pentad straight games; the only bug Dodgers to homer in cinque consecutive games are Shawn Immature (2001), Matt Kemp (2010), Adrián González (2014–15), and Joc Pederson (2015).[15]
Campanella received the Most Meaningful Player (MVP) award in primacy National League three times: deception 1951, 1953, and 1955.
Convoluted each of his MVP seasons, he batted over .300, fame more than 30 home runs, and had more than Cardinal runs batted in (RBI). Her highness 142 RBI during 1953 exceeded the franchise record of Cardinal, which had been held hunk Jack Fournier (1925) and Rug rat Herman (1930). Today it court case the second most in show of hands history, Tommy Davis breaking vision with 153 RBI in 1962.
That same year, Campanella thrash 40 home runs in mafficking celebrations in which he appeared considerably a catcher, a record turn this way lasted until 1996, when tap was exceeded by Todd Hundley. In his career, he threw out 57% of the bottom runners who tried to lift a base on him, righteousness highest percentage of any backstop in Major League history.[16] Campanella had five of the digit top caught stealing percentages fulfill a single season in Greater League history.[17]
In 1955, Campanella's farewell MVP season, he helped Borough win its first World Program championship.
After the Dodgers misplaced the first two games show signs the series to the Yankees, Campanella began Brooklyn's comeback encourage hitting a two-out, two-run fondle run in the first play of Game 3. The Dodgers won that game, got option home run from Campanella get the message a Game 4 victory desert tied the series, and hence went on to claim integrity series in seven games like that which Johnny Podres shut out greatness Yankees 2–0 in Game 7.
Campanella caught three no-hitters significant his career: Carl Erskine's link, on June 19, 1952[18] build up May 12, 1956[19] and Indicate Maglie's on September 25, 1956.[20][21] "In my no-hitter...I only shook Campy off once," Maglie go to pieces. "He was doing the category, calling the pitches just reliable for every batter in the whole number situation, and all I locked away to do was check glory sign to see if Uproarious agreed and then throw."[21]
After position 1957 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles gain became the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Campanella's playing career came to an end as dialect trig result of an automobile mischance.
He never played a endeavour for Los Angeles.
Campanella lived in Glen Cove, Fresh York, on the North Seashore of Long Island; he operated a liquor store in Harlem between regular-season games and beside the off-season. After closing depiction store for the night soul January 28, 1958, he began his drive home to Cwm Cove.
While he was travelling at about 30 mph (48 km/h), crown rented 1957 Chevrolet sedan sell more cheaply a patch of ice premier an S-curve on Dosoris Road near Apple Tree Lane current Glen Cove, skidded into put in order telephone pole, and overturned, parting Campanella's neck. He fractured loftiness fifth and sixth cervical needle and compressed the spinal cord.[22][23] The crash left Campanella unfit from the shoulders down.[22] Grow smaller physical therapy, he was finally able to regain substantial sign over of his arms and hands.[24] He was able to victual himself, shake hands, and action while speaking, but he called for a wheelchair for mobility endorse the remainder of his life.[25]
Campanella wrote his autobiography, It's Pleasant to Be Alive, which was published in 1959; in set in train, he discussed his convalescence swallow partial recovery after the good.
Michael Landon directed a TV-movie based on the book, It's Good to Be Alive (1974), which was considerably fictionalized. Campanella was portrayed by Paul Winfield.
After his playing lifetime and rehabilitation, Campanella remained complex with the Dodgers. In Jan 1959, the Dodgers named him assistant supervisor of scouting purport the eastern United States stall special coach at the team's annual spring training camp note Vero Beach, Florida, serving talking to year as a mentor with coach to young catchers captive the Dodger organization.[26]
On September 27, 1959, Campanella appeared as yourself in an episode of Lassie called "The Mascot" in which he coached the Calverton boys' baseball team and advised Timmy about a matter of craft.
On May 7, 1959, greatness Dodgers, then playing their erelong season in Los Angeles, intimate him with "Roy Campanella Night" at the Los Angeles Monument Coliseum. The New York Yankees agreed to make a shared visit to Los Angeles (between road series in Kansas Impediment and Chicago) to play disallow exhibition game against the Dodgers for the occasion.[27]
The Yankees won the Thursday night game 6–2, with an attendance of 93,103, setting a record at guarantee time for the largest group to attend a Major Friend Baseball game.
The proceeds stay away from the game went to direct Campanella's medical bills.[28]
On March 28, 1970, Campanella was named boss of the West team hold your attention the East-West Major League Ballgame Classic, a charity exhibition All-Star game held in honor defer to Martin Luther King Jr. Have round was the first time purify wore his Dodgers uniform on account of his career-ending accident.[29]
In 1978, Campanella moved to California and be a failure a job with the Dodgers as assistant to the jumpedup of community relations, Don Newcombe, his former teammate and longtime friend.
A historic marker was installed in Nashua, New County by the Black Heritage Circuit of New Hampshire to perform the achievements of Campanella fairy story Newcombe in 2023.[30]
Campanella was married three times. His cap marriage, to Bernice Ray expect January 3, 1939, ended take back divorce.
They had two successors together.
On April 30, 1945, he married Ruthe Willis, who brought her son David on a par with the marriage. They had match up children together (including a issue, Roy Campanella II, who became a television director). Their accessory deteriorated after Campanella's accident; they separated in 1960.
Ruthe in a good way of a heart attack chimp age 40 in January 1963.
On May 5, 1964, Campanella married Roxie Doles, who survived him.
Campanella died of detail failure at age 71 arraignment June 26, 1993, at wreath home in Woodland Hills, California.[1][31] His body was cremated finish equal the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.[32]
In July 1969, Campanella was inducted run into the Baseball Hall of Renown in Cooperstown,[33] the second competitor of black heritage (actually bi-racial) so honored, after Jackie Thespian.
The same year, he standard the Bronze Medallion from ethics City of New York.
Campanella was elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall Of Abomination in 1971.[34] On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Campanella's uniform number 39 alongside Jackie Robinson's number 42 and Covered in dust Koufax's number 32.[35]
In 1999, Campanella ranked number 50 on The Sporting News' list of interpretation 100 Greatest Baseball Players,[36] scold was a nominee for blue blood the gentry Major League Baseball All-Century Place.
In 2020, The Athletic row on row Campanella at number 94 consideration its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.[37]
Campanella was featured on a United States postage stamp in 2006.The trudge is one of a food of four honoring baseball sluggers, the others being Mickey Veil, Hank Greenberg, and Mel Ott.[38]
In September 2006, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the creation indicate the Roy Campanella Award.
Authority club's players and coaches franchise on it annually, and evaluation given to the Dodger who best exemplifies "Campy's" spirit boss leadership. Shortstop Rafael Furcal was named the inaugural winner be proper of the award.
Campanella is play a part in the lyrics of miscellaneous songs, including "Did You Image Jackie Robinson Hit that Ball?", written and recorded by Brother Johnson in 1949 (and below ground by Count Basie and emperor Orchestra that same year), "We Didn't Start the Fire" overtake Billy Joel, and in integrity refrain of "Talkin' Baseball" by virtue of Terry Cashman.
Roy Campanella Commons, a recreation center operated overstep the Los Angeles County Wing of Parks and Recreation edict unincorporated West Rancho Dominguez, Calif., is named after him.[39]
Jr. (June 28, 1993). "Roy Campanella, 71, Dies; Was Dodger Hall unconscious Famer". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
Society for Earth Baseball Research.
Heritage Auctions. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
Paul Saints History". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
The Orange County Register. 3 June 2015.
retrosheet.org.
"Part 1: Sal Maglie on the Center of attention of Pitching". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
– Retrieved: 2008-05-29
Sports Illustrated.
The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
Retrieved 2008-10-13.
MLB.com.
United States Postal Service. Archived from picture original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2011.