ROY CAMPANELLA

Roy Campanella was a black African American professional sports baseball player from 1948 to 1957, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers as catcher. The son of a Sicilian father and African American mother, Campanella played in the Negro Leagues, the Mexican League, and the Minor leagues before being allowed to play in the major leagues. Campanella was an 8 time All Star, helped Brooklyn win its first-ever World Series, and in his career threw out 57% of the base runners who tried to steal a base from him, the highest by a catcher in major league history! His career unfortunately ended when he was paralyzed in a car accident. Roy passed away in 1993 at the age of 71.