Roy Campanella, who became one of the key figures of the Dodgers’ great teams of the 1950s, was born on this day in 1921.
Later, Roy made his major league debut in July 1948. He got a double in his first at bat.
Campy, as he was known, turned into one of the greatest catchers of his era. He was the NL MVP in 1951, 1953 & 1955 when the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees in the World Series.
His career abruptly ended after a car crash left him paralyzed in early 1958. Coincidentally, it happened months after the Dodgers played their last game in Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles.
His numbers were very impressive for a catcher: .276 batting average, 242 HR & 856 RBI. Campy was elected to The Hall of Fame in 1969 and died in 1993.
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