Willie Mays was more than a legend of the baseball world; he transformed sport and opened doors of opportunity for African Americans in the sporting world and beyond.
A unique blend of power, speed and agility, Mays ranks 5th in all-time home runs with 660 and was the winner of 12 Gold Gloves, establishing himself as one of, if not the best player in MLB history. His over-the-shoulder catch against the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series is considered by most to be the greatest play ever in the history of the game.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015 for his contributions to both sport and country, and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. Rising from his start in the Negro League’s “Black Barons” while still in high school, Mays would go on to star for the San Francisco Giants and win Major League Baseball’s MVP award in both 1954 and 1965. Today the award is called the “Willie Mays Award” by the league.
Called the “Say Hey, Kid” for his infectious greetings, Mays ended his career with the New York Mets in 1973 as an absolute icon of the game. He passed away on June 18th, 2024.
