1986 Sportflics Decade Greats: Roy Campanella

 

The player: Roy Campanella was one of the greatest catchers of all time. He is believed to be the youngest player to ever play in the major leagues (he played on weekends for the Washington Elite Giants as a 15-year-old in 1937 before quitting school to play baseball fulltime). Campy started young in other areas as well - by the time he turned 18 in 1939 he was already married with two children. As a result he was not drafted (though he did work in wartime industries) and by 1945 led the Negro Leagues in several offensive categories. The next year he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers organization, and was considered by Branch Rickey as a candidate to break the National League's color barrier. When he did join the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948 he immediately became one of the best catchers in the major leagues. An All-Star every year from 1949 to 1956, he won three MVP awards, hitting .300 with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI in each of those MVP years. He was an excellent pitch caller and defensive catcher, and he threw out 57% of runners attempting to steal, the major league record.

The man: Campanella was universally considered a great teammate and future managerial candidate. In fact, he was the first Black manager of an integrated team when he filled in as manager in a minor league game in 1946 after his manager was ejected. Campanella's playing career was cut short when he was paralyzed in a one-car accident at 3:30 AM on January 28, 1958. Campanella had left the Harlem liquor store he co-owned after closing at 1:30 AM and was nearly at his home on Long Island when the accident occurred. It would not have taken anywhere near two hours to make that trip at that hour of night, so there is widespread speculation that Campanella was involved in some kind of inappropriate activity before the accident. He and his wife separated not long after. Campanella remained an upbeat, positive figure after the accident, and was considered an inspiring figure for those with similar disabilities.

My collection: I have his 1956 Topps card (thanks, Diamond King!). His last card as an active player was in 1957 Topps. Though Topps did not include him in their 1958 set, seemingly forgetting about him after his accident, they did make a special "Profiles in Courage" card of Campanella for their 1959 set, with the text on the back written by National League President Warren Giles.