| Roy Campanella | ||
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| Catcher | ||
| Born: November 19, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Died: June 26, 1993 (aged 71) Woodland Hills, California |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 20, 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers |
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| Final game | ||
| September 29, 1957 for the Brooklyn Dodgers |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Batting average | . Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in Cricket. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Woodland Hills is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4-2 All-Star Game The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees (4-3 Lew Burdette, MVP The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Batting average is a Statistic in both Cricket and Baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively 276 | |
| Home runs | 242 | |
| Runs batted in | 856 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
| Elected | 1969 | |
| Vote | 79. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4-2 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees (4-3 Lew Burdette, MVP The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in 7 games to capture their first championship The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Champions Major League Baseball The most notable part of the 1969 season were the Miracle Mets World Series: New York Mets 41% | |
Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player — primarily at the position of catcher — in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball. Events 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in Cricket. Part of the History of baseball in the United States series The Negro leagues were American professional Baseball leagues He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə
Widely considered to have been one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game,[1] Campanella played for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1940s and 1950s, as one of the pioneers in breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The baseball color line, sometimes called the " Gentleman's Agreement " was the policy unwritten for nearly its entire duration which excluded African His Hall of Fame career was cut short in 1958 when he was paralyzed in an automobile accident. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Paralysed redirects here For other uses see xx Paralysed (disambiguation Paralysis is the complete loss of Muscle function [2]
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Campanella's father was of Italian descent; his mother was African American. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Therefore, he was barred from Major League Baseball prior to 1947 — the season that non-white players were admitted to the Major Leagues for the first time since the 19th Century. The baseball color line, sometimes called the " Gentleman's Agreement " was the policy unwritten for nearly its entire duration which excluded African Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 All-Star Game The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Campanella began playing Negro League baseball for the Washington Elite Giants in 1937, at the age of 15. Part of the History of baseball in the United States series The Negro leagues were American professional Baseball leagues The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional Baseball team that played in the Negro Leagues from to. The Elite Giants would move to Baltimore the following year,[3] and Campanella would go on to become a star player with the team.
In 1942 Campanella played in the Mexican League with the Sultanes of Monterrey, Lazaro Salazar manager of sultanes told him that we would play one day at the MLB. In 1971 he was elected to the Mexican League Hall Of Fame.
In 1946, Campanella moved into the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league system, as the Dodger organization began preparations to break the Major Leagues' color barrier with Jackie Robinson. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals over Boston Red Sox (4-3 All-Star Game The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. For the 1946 season, Robinson was assigned to the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' affiliate in the Class AAA International League. The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897-1917 and from 1928-60 as a member The International League ( IL) is a Minor league baseball league which operates in the eastern United States. Meanwhile, the team looked to assign Campanella to a Class B league. After the general manager of the Danville Dodgers of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League reported that he did not feel that league ready for racial integration, the organization sent Campanella, along with pitcher Don Newcombe to the Nashua Dodgers of the Class B New England League, where the Dodgers felt the racial climate would be more tolerant. The Illinois - Indiana - Iowa League was a Minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 years mostly in those three Racial integration, or simply integration includes Desegregation (the process of ending systematic Racial segregation) Donald Newcombe (born June 14, 1926 in Madison New Jersey) nicknamed "Newk" is an American former Major League Baseball The Nashua Dodgers, a farm club of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a baseball team which operated in the class-B New England League between 1946 and 1949 The New England League was a mid-level league in American Minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states ( Vermont The Nashua team thus became the first professional baseball team to field a racially integrated lineup in the United States in the 20th Century.
Campanella's 1946 season proceeded largely without racial incident, and in one game Campanella took over the managerial duties after manager Walter Alston was ejected. Walter Emmons Alston ( December 1, 1911 - October 1, 1984) nicknamed "Smokey" was an American Baseball player This made Campanella the first African-American to manage white players on an organized professional baseball team. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Nashua was three runs down at the time Campanella took over. They came back to win, in part due to Campanella's decision to use Newcombe as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning. Newcombe hit a game-tying two-run home run.
Jackie Robinson's first season in the Major Leagues came in 1947, and Campanella began his Major League career with the Brooklyn Dodgers the following season. Campanella's first game was on April 20, 1948. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4-2 All-Star Game He went on to play for the Dodgers from 1948 through 1957 as their regular catcher. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4-2 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees (4-3 Lew Burdette, MVP In 1948, he had three different uniform numbers (33, 39, and 56) before settling down to number 39 for the rest of his career.
Campanella played in the All-Star Game every year from 1949 through 1956. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-1 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3 Don Larsen, MVP His 1949 All-Star selection made him one of the first four African-Americans so honored. (Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Larry Doby were also All-Stars in 1949. Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby ( December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional Baseball player )[4] Campanella received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the National League three times: in 1951, 1953, and 1955. The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball Headline Event of the Year Baseball's Shot Heard 'Round the World gives the New York Giants the National League Pennant in the third game of a best-of-three-games Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Brooklyn Dodgers (4-2 All-Star Game Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers over New York Yankees (4-3 Johnny Podres, MVP In each of his MVP seasons, he batted over . 300, hit over 30 home runs and had over 100 runs batted in. His 142 RBIs in 1953 broke the franchise record of 130, which had been held by Jack Fournier (1925) and Babe Herman (1930). John Frank "Jack" Fournier ( September 28 1889 – September 5 1973) was a First baseman in Major League Baseball Champions World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates over Washington Senators (4-3 Negro League World Series: Hilldale Floyd Caves "Babe" Herman ( June 26 1903 - November 27 1987) was an American Right fielder in Major Champions World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over St Louis Cardinals (4-2 Awards and honors Today it is the second-most in franchise history, Tommy Davis breaking it with 153 RBIs in 1962. Herman Thomas Davis Jr (born March 21 1939 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former Left fielder in Major League Baseball best The 1962 season is perhaps most notable for the dismal 40-120 record of the New York Mets, which has been a continuing source of humor among baseball fans as well as comedians such as That same year Campanella hit 40 home runs in games in which he appeared as a catcher, a record that lasted until 1996, when it was broken by Todd Hundley. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves (4-2 John Wetteland, MVP Todd Randolph Hundley (born May 27, 1969 in Martinsville, Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball Catcher / Outfielder
In 1955, Campanella's third MVP season helped propel Brooklyn to its long-awaited first-ever World Series Championship. For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. After the Dodgers dropped the first two games of that year's World Series to the Yankees, Campanella began Brooklyn's comeback by hitting a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning of Game 3. The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in 7 games to capture their first championship The Dodgers won that game, got another home run from Campanella in a Game 4 victory that tied the series, and then went on to claim the series in seven games.
After the 1957 season, the Brooklyn Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles, California, and became the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Campanella's playing career came to an end before he ever played a game there. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves over New York Yankees (4-3 Lew Burdette, MVP Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West
Campanella lived in Glen Cove, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, while owning a liquor store in Harlem, Manhattan, which he also operated during the baseball off-season and between games. Glen Cove is a city in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York On January 28, 1958, after closing the store for the night, he began his drive to his home in Glen Cove. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. En route, traveling at about 30 m. p. h. , his car (a rented 1957 Chevrolet sedan) hit a patch of ice, skidded into a telephone pole and overturned, breaking Campanella's neck. Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM He fractured the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae and compressed the spinal cord. A vertebra (plural vertebrae) is an individual Irregular bone in the spinal or Vertebral column ( aka ischis a flexuous and flexible column The spinal cord is a long thin tubular bundle of Nerves that is an extension of the Central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected [5][6]
The accident left Campanella paralyzed from the shoulders down. [5] Through physical therapy, he eventually was able to gain substantial use of his arms and hands. [7] He was able to feed himself, shake hands, and gesture while speaking, but he would require a wheelchair for mobility for the remainder of his life.
After his playing career, Campanella remained involved with the Dodgers. Willie Howard Mays Jr (born May 6 1931 is a retired American Baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants In January 1959 the Dodgers named him assistant supervisor of scouting for the eastern part of the United States and special coach the team's annual spring training camp in Vero Beach, Florida, serving each year as a mentor and coach to young catchers in the Dodger organization. In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the Regular season. Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U [8] In 1978, he moved to California and took a job as assistant to the Dodgers' director of community relations, Campanella's former teammate and longtime friend Don Newcombe. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers (4-2 Bucky Dent, MVP California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Donald Newcombe (born June 14, 1926 in Madison New Jersey) nicknamed "Newk" is an American former Major League Baseball
| Roy Campanella's number 39 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972 |
In May 1959, the Dodgers, then playing their second season in Los Angeles, honored Campanella with Roy Campanella Night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago White Sox (4-2 Larry Sherry, MVP Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports Stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles California at Exposition The New York Yankees agreed to make a special trip to Los Angeles to play an exhibition game against the Dodgers for the occasion. The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The Yankees won the game, 6-2. The attendance at the game was 93,103, setting a record at that time for the largest crowd to attend a Major League Baseball game.
In 1969, Campanella was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the second player of African American heritage so honored, after Jackie Robinson. Champions Major League Baseball The most notable part of the 1969 season were the Miracle Mets World Series: New York Mets Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31 1919 – October 24 1972 was a Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Campanella's uniform number 39 alongside Robinson's (42) and Sandy Koufax's (32). Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Labor strife and more moving 1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration Sanford Koufax (ˈkoʊfæks (born Sanford Braun, on December 30, 1935) is an American Left-handed former Pitcher in
In an article in Esquire magazine in 1976, sportswriter Harry Stein published an article called the "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," a list of five ethnic baseball teams. Esquire (abbreviated Esq) is a term of British origin originally used to denote social status Campanella was the catcher on Stein's black team. Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of
In 1999, Campanella ranked number 50 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Atlanta Braves (4-0 Mariano Rivera, MVP Sporting News (previously The Sporting News, and known colloquially as TSN) is an American -based Sports In 1999 MasterCard sponsored the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
In 2006, Campanella was featured on a United States postage stamp. 2006 Major League Baseball season|2006 Nippon Professional Baseball season Headline Event of the Year The 2006 World Baseball Classic is a surprise success The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services [9] The stamp is one of a block of four honoring baseball sluggers, the others being Mickey Mantle, Hank Greenberg, and Mel Ott. Mickey Charles Mantle ( October 20, 1931 &ndash August 13, 1995) was an American Baseball player who was inducted Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg ( January 1, 1911, New York New York – September 4, 1986) nicknamed "Hammerin' Melvin Thomas "Mel" Ott ( March 2, 1909 – November 21, 1958) nicknamed "Master Melvin" was a Major League Baseball
In September 2006, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the creation of the Roy Campanella Award, which is voted among the club's players and coaches and is given to the Dodger who best exemplifies "Campy's" spirit and leadership. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Shortstop Rafael Furcal was named the inaugural winner of the award. Rafael Antoni Furcal (born October 24, 1977 in Loma de Cabrera, Dominican Republic) nicknamed "Fookie" is a Shortstop
Campanella was married three times. He married Bernice Ray in 1939, with whom he had two daughters. They divorced a few years later. On April 30, 1945, he married Ruthe Willis and had three children together, though their relationship deteriorated after his accident. They separated in 1960 and Ruthe died in January of 1963. On May 5, 1964, Campanella married Roxie Doles, who survived him in death. His widow, Roxie, died of cancer in 2004. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Headline events of the year The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series since, ending the Curse of the Bambino.
He died of a heart attack on June 26, 1993, in his Woodland Hills, California home. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Woodland Hills is a district in the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. [2][10] He was interred in the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West
The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout Extra Innings is a book by former Major League Baseball All-Star Pitcher Carl Daniel Erskine (born December 13 1926 in Anderson Indiana) is a former right-handed Starting pitcher in Major League Baseball Campanella is prominent in many of these stories.
In October 2006, Simon & Schuster announced plans to publish a new biography of Campanella to be written by Neil Lanctot, author of Negro League Baseball - The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L
Campanella himself authored the inspirational book It’s Good to Be Alive, which details his journey back from the near-fatal car accident that left him paralyzed. The book mentions the years of tireless efforts by physical therapist Sam Brockington which allowed Campanella to regain some use of his arms, eventually overcome his initial bitterness about his fate, and finally adopt an optimistic outlook on life. Michael Landon made his TV-movie directorial debut in the 1974 movie It’s Good to Be Alive, in which Campanella was portrayed by Paul Winfield. Michael Landon ( October 31 1936 - July 1 1991) was an American Actor, writer director, and producer The year 1974 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1974. Paul Edward Winfield ( May 22, 1939 &ndash March 7, 2004) was an Emmy Award -winning and Academy Award -nominated
Campanella appeared as Mystery Guest on What's My Line? episode 171 on September 6, 1953. What's My Line? is a weekly panel Game show which was produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS