Campanella, Roy (1921-1993), was one of the greatest catchers in baseball history and one of the leading power hitters of his time. Campanella was named the Most Valuable Player in the National League in 1951, 1953, and 1955. In 1969, he became the second African American player elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, after Jackie Robinson.
Campanella was born on Nov. 19, 1921, in Philadelphia to an African American mother and an Italian-American father. He began playing for a local semiprofessional team in 1937. Campanella started his career before baseball was racially integrated. He spent 1937 through 1945 in the Negro leagues, except for a period playing in Mexico in 1942 and 1943. He signed with the Brooklyn (now Los Angeles) Dodgers of the National League in 1946. He played minor league ball until 1948, when he joined the Dodgers. In 1953, Campanella led the league in runs batted in with 142 and hit 41 home runs, both major league records for catchers at the time.
Campanella’s baseball career ended after an automobile accident in January 1958 left him paralyzed. He spent the rest of his life working for the Dodgers, first as a spring training instructor and then in community relations. Campanella wrote an autobiography, It’s Good to Be Alive (1959). He died on June 26, 1993.
