Roy Campanella

Roy Campanella (1921–1993) was an American professional baseball player, best known as the Brooklyn Dodgers’ catcher and one of the sport’s premier defensive backstops. Born in Philadelphia, he played in the Negro leagues before joining the Dodgers organization and becoming a key figure in Major League Baseball’s early integration era. Campanella won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times (1951, 1953, 1955) and was selected to multiple All-Star teams. His playing career ended after a 1958 automobile accident left him paralyzed. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.