Roberto Clemente
"Athlete Extraodinair"
"World Class Humanitarian"
Compiled by
Eileen Torres
AWARDS AND FACTS
First Latino inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Most Valuable Player 1966
Sporting News National League Player of the Year, 1966
Sporting News All-Star Team Outfielder. 1961, 1964,1966, 1967
National League Bating Crowns 1961, 1964,1965, 1967
Led National League in hits !964, 1967
Led National League in Triples 1969
1971 World Series Most Valuable Player
All Star -12 seasons
Winner of 12 Golden Gloves
Five Time League Leader in Outfield Assists
Had hit in every game of the 1960 & 1971 World Series
Made 3,000th hit on September 30, 1972
All time Pittsburgh Pirates leader in games, at bats, hits, single, and total bases
Second baseball player to appear on U.S. Postage Stamp (Jackie Robinson was first)
.317 Lifetime Average
Twenty five years ago, Roberto Walker Clemente became the first Latino to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. A special temporary exhibit displayed in the Hall's library atrium in 1998 marks the 25th anniversary of the induction and is the first to be written in both Spanish and English. In addition three presentations entitled THE LEGACY OF ROBERTO CLEMENTE were conducted this summer.
Roberto Clemente, considered the greatest right fielder to ever play the game of baseball was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico August 18, 1934. He was a man who loved the game so much he considered it a privilege to be paid for doing what he loved. He remarked the fans should be paid to watch them (the ballplayers) play. The Great One wore the number 21 and felt proudest when sporting his uniform.
At times he was shy and bashful by his own estimation. At other times he displayed a matter-of-fact confidence that demonstrated his self-assuredness. For example before the start of the 1971 World Series he stated "Nobody does anything better than me in baseball." He backed up those words by hitting .414 and winning MVP honors.
Clemente believed every human being was equal. It has been noted he treated rookie players with the same respect he accorded veteran superstars. He felt love should not be confined to the family but should be extended to neighbors. He felt it was important to lend a helping hand.
Teammate Willie Stargell said Roberto was always trying to help someone. After a devastating earthquake hit Nicaragua in 1972 he organized a humanitarian relief effort to deliver much needed food and other supplies. After his first relief trip he learned supplies were not being properly distributed and sometimes stolen. He felt the people would not steal from him and mounted a second voyage against the protests of his son who had a premonition the plane would crash.
The plane a DC-7 was old and overloaded. Shortly after takeoff on that New Year's Eve night of 1972 the plane sputtered and its engines burst into flames off the coast of San Juan. His teammate Manny Sanguillen went into the sea time after time in search of his friend and the man he idolized. The plane was never found; only Clemente's briefcase.
Forty schools in the United States have been named after him. Two children's hospitals were given his name in Nicaragua. Parks across the country and Puerto Rico and baseball stadiums in his hometown of Carolina and Manheim, Germany bear his name.
His own most famous quote "I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give" served as his epitaph. He is a legend revered by fans.
Click here to see A Musical Tribute to Roberto Clemente