Ray Campanella

Position: Catcher
Career: 1939 – 1957

orn in Philadelphia of an Italian-American father and African-American mother, Roy Campanella starred with the Negro League’s Baltimore Elite Giants for almost a decade prior to signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers when the major league was integrated in 1947.

Roy Campanella played in the All-Star game every year from 1949 to 1956 and was named National League MVP three times, including a 1953 selection when he set single-season records for catchers with 41 homers and a National League best of 142 RBIs. His career was cut short by a tragic automobile accident which left him paralyzed from the chest down just prior to the start of the 1958 season. Through incredible determination and physical therapy, he eventually regained the use of his arms, but was confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of this life.

After his playing career, Campanella remained involved with the Dodgers and moved to California where he worked with the team’s community relations department. He served as a mentor and adviser to young catchers in the Dodger organization.

In 1969, Roy Camapanella was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame–the second player of African-American heritage so honored, after Jackie Robinson. His uniform number 39 was retired in 1972 alongside Jackie Robinson (#42) and Sandy Koufax (#32).

*Players' biographies are excerpted from copyrighted materials and used with permission of the Negro League Baseball Players Association (www.NLBPA.com)

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