Roy Campanella
1921-1995

Campanella, Roy (b. November 19, 1921, Philadelphia, Pa.; d. June 26, 1993, Los Angeles, Calif.), one of the first African American stars in major league baseball.

The son of John Campanella, an Italian fruit-stand dealer, and Ida Campanella, an African American woman, Roy Campanella began playing semiprofessional baseball with Philadelphia's Bacharach Giants when he was 16 years old. After playing briefly with the Giants, Campanella joined the Baltimore Elites of the Negro National League (NNL). Campanella starred in the NNL until 1946 when he signed a minor league contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Campanella played for Dodgers farm clubs until 1948 — the year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier — when he became the Dodgers' starting catcher.

An excellent all-around player, "Campy" starred from 1948 to 1957, helping the Dodgers capture five National League (NL) Pennants. He won the NL most valuable player (MVP) award three times, in 1951, 1953, and 1955. In 1951, Campanella hit .325 with 33 home runs, and 108 runs batted in (RBI). His best season was in 1953 when he hit 41 home runs, and 142 RBI, both major league records for a catcher. He also set a defensive record that year with 807 putouts. Campanella had a career average of .276, 242 home runs, and 856 RBI, totals that would have been greater had the major leagues not prohibited African American players until 1947. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

In January 1958, Campanella's baseball career was cut short by an automobile accident that left him a quadriplegic. He remained a Dodger, however, serving as a minor-league instructor and a community-relations officer. He published his autobiography, It's Good to be Alive, in 1959.