Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella was an African American baseball player best known for his tenure as a catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in Major League Baseball and Negro Leagues in the 1940’s and 1950’s. One of the best catchers in the history of the sport, Campanella played a large part in breaking the color barrier in Baseball, and was one of the first colored players bought into previously segregated Major League Baseball. To further prove his worth, Campanella also won 3 Most Valuable Player awards in the 1950’s, and his stellar performance led the Dodgers to their first championship against their then-rivals, the New York Yankees. Campanella played for nearly 10 years before being permanently paralyzed by in a car accident. Following the accident, Campanella remained active with the Dodgers, assisting them with scouting for new players for years following the accident. He died at 71 from a heart attack.