Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank”, was more than just an American professional baseball player, he forever changed the game and left an indelible mark in our memories that will never be erased. Who of us hadn’t seen the video of the night, before a sold-out – standing room only – crowd in Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium, when The Hammer belted number 715 over 400 feet to the nearly dead center of the ballpark and over a sign that read “Think of it as money.” That is exactly who and what Henry “Hank” Aaron was. He was better than money, and his endurance of the struggles he faced for his skin color and his excellence on the field made him better. It made him the indelible King of his sport. His excellence transcended sports and intersected with nearly every aspect of society. Who can forget that the first fans to congratulate him on the moment known by many as “the greatest moment in baseball history”, would be the two European-American gentlemen who made their way to the field giving “Hank” congratulatory pats on the back and pats of appreciation, not the degradation that the Man Henry “Hank” Aaron had received on his way to breaking the home run record that many said would never be broken? In the minds of many, our own Atlanta Braves’ Henry “Hank” Aaron is still that Home Run King that he was on April 8th, 1974, and our recognition of that feat over 50 years later is proof that even in death, Henry’s memories
live on.
Crossing home plate that night, anyone can see that Henry was loved not by one race, gender, or nationality. One look at him breaking his way through the crowd to step on home plate and into American history, you’ll see nearly every race represented, right down to the Native Americans whose country we all call home – just as Henry was welcomed “home” by his family, friends, teammates, and the International television audience that watched with smiles and butterflies. With his quiet demeanor and professional approach to this game, there could not be a better ambassador for sports, the state of Georgia, for his birthplace in Mobile, Alabama, for this country, and yes for every young black kid, and every kid in fact that “yes you can!”.
Aaron is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His 755 career home runs broke the long-standing MLB record set by Babe Ruth and stood as the most for 33 years. Aaron still holds many other MLB batting records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973 and is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its list of the “100 Greatest Baseball Players”. In 1982, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
In our minds, “Hank” is quite simply the “G.O.A.T.” .
(Greatest Of All Time)
Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. Aaron had seven siblings, including Tommie Aaron, who played major league baseball with him. He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and minor league baseball before starting his major league career. By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last Negro League baseball player on a major league roster.
Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. Aaron was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons, an AL All-Star for one season, and he holds the record for the most All-Star selections (25) while sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial. He was a three-time Gold Glove winner, and in 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBIs) (2,297), extra-base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). He is also in the top five for career hits (3,771) and runs (2,174). He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits. Aaron is in second place in home runs (755), at-bats (12,364), and in third place in games played (3,298). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game’s key career power-hitting records.
After his retirement, Aaron held front-office roles with the Atlanta Braves, including senior vice president. In 1988, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1999, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002, and he was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments that reflect the ideals of Georgia’s founders. In 2020, Aaron birthed the idea and concept of The Hank Aaron Sports Academy, located in Jackson, Mississippi, at the former MiLB Stadium of the Houston Astros and New York Mets.
Aaron resided near Atlanta until his death.
