On April 8, , the largest crowd in Braves history 53, came out to witness history. Aaron didn't disappoint. In the fourth inning, he ripped an Al Downing pitch into the Braves bullpen, where it was caught by reliever Tom House. As Aaron rounded second base, two college students appeared and ran alongside him before security stepped in. The new home run king was mobbed at home by his teammates. A quarter of a century later, Aaron still has the record, and the hate mail.
They remind me what people are really like. After retiring as a player, Aaron became one of the first blacks in Major League Baseball upper-level management as Atlanta's vice president of player development. Since Dec. He also is vice president of business development for The Airport Network. Boxing great Henry Armstrong hammered away at discrimination in the s and s by refusing to fight in segregated arenas. Joe Louis ' and Jesse Owens ' defeat of German supremacists led to white America rooting for a black man.
All's stance against the war led to him being the most popular speaker at white college campuses in America. For a remarkable nine years, nine months and nine days, Edwin Moses remained invincible in the meter hurdles, being unbeaten in consecutive races. Despite the history of racial bias in the game, today's NFL is at complete contrast with its previous agenda.
Between and players with black skin, including Cubans, Latin Americans, and African Americans, were banned from organized baseball. Google Plus.
Read about the great African Americans who fought in wars. Read more. Thin jazz, think art, think of great actors and find them here. Follow the history of Black Americans from slave ships to the presidency. Olympic winners, MVPS of every sport, and people who broke the color barrier. These men and women risked and sometimes lost their life to fight for the cause.
Meet the people who worked to change the system from the inside. In , President George W. Bush awarded Aaron the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his philanthropy and humanitarian endeavors. Back Next. For more than three decades, Hank Aaron has been best known for hitting more home runs than any other baseball player in history.
When I ran around the bases, these two kids come out. Hank Aaron: He was police. Manny Jackson loaned him to the Braves, and the Braves paid for him to go to spring training with me.
He was a detective. So after you hit the ball, these two kids ran out and followed you around the field. It was exciting to watch. What was it like for you?
Hank Aaron: They were having fun, the kids were. After finishing his record-breaking season with 20 home runs, Aaron joined the Brewers in his old big league hometown of Milwaukee to take advantage of the new designated hitter rule that gave aging sluggers a chance to rest their legs. He played two more years, wrapping up his stellar career after the season. As Aaron drew closer to home run No. Letters poured into the Braves offices, as many as 3, a day for Aaron.
Some wrote to congratulate him, but many others were appalled that a Black man should break baseball's most sacred record. Death threats were a part of the mix. Still, Aaron pushed forward. He didn't try to inflame the atmosphere, but he didn't keep his mouth shut, either, speaking out against the league's lack of ownership and management opportunities for minorities. Aaron, nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank," is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Over 21 years as an outfielder for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves and two final years as a DH for the Milwaukee Brewers, he compiled numerous records, including:. Aaron ranks second all-time in home runs , third in hits 3, , third in games played 3, and tied for fourth with Ruth in runs scored 2, Over the course of his career, he won two batting titles, led his league in homers and RBIs four times each, and won three Gold Gloves for fielding excellence. Initially determined by the compiling of points based on stats, it soon fell under the voting jurisdiction of broadcasters, with fans later joining the process.
For more than three decades, Aaron held the Major League record with his career home runs. Aaron was not at the ballpark that night, prompting speculation that he would not acknowledge the accomplishments of Bonds, who had been accused of cheating through performance-enhancement drugs.
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