Look, I don't have the vision or voice of martin Luther King or James Baldwin or Jesse Jackson or even of Jackie Robinson. I'm just an old ball player. But I learned that if you mange to make a name for yourself-and if you're black, believe me, it has to be a big name- then people will start listening to whatyou have to say. That was why it was so important for me to break the home run record....I had to break that record. I had to do it for Jackie and my people and myself and for everybody who ever called me a nigger. -Hank Aaron

Henry Aaron was born on February 5 ,1934 in Mobile, Alabama. At age 8, Henry started playing ball at the local fields. When Henry completed high school at age 17, he joined the Indianapolis Clowns for $200 /month. He had a very successful year and his contract was purchased by the Milwaukee Braves in 1953. He spent one year in the minors and then joined the majors in 1954.

He played with the Braves from 1954-74, before he was traded to the Brewers for the 1975 and 1976 season. He hit his 715 home run in April of 1974, passing the great Babe Ruth. He would end his career with 755 home runs. His 715 home run was voted as the greatest moment in baseball history of all times.

Since retiring from baseball in 1976, he worked in the Braves organization as a Vice President of Team Relations and Recruiting. He also appleied for t the Commisioner of Baseball position in the mid 80's, but was not even considered by the baseball committee. They hired someeone from outyside the baseball organization. Some of his stats are a lifetime batting average of .305, Aaron had 2,297 runs batted in (1st all-time), 6,856 total bases (1st), 12,364 at bats (2d), 3,771 hits (3d), 3,298 games played (3d), and 624 doubles (8th). Aaron was the NL's Most Valuable Player in 1957, and the right fielder won 3 Gold Glove awards for his fielding prowess. He led the NL in home runs, runs batted in, and slugging average 4 times each, and in batting average twice (1956: .328; 1959: .355).

Bibliography: Aaron, Henry, and Wheeler, Lonnie, I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story (1991).