Roy Campanella #39

May 7, 1959

Coliseum Tribute to Roy Campanella
Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella never got the chance to play a game as a Dodger in the City of Los Angeles. But on May 7, 1959, Los Angeles fans paid tribute to Campy in one of sports' most moving moments.

During his 10-year career, Campanella had not only been recognized as the finest catcher in the National League, he had also proven himself to be one of the finest players in the game. He was one of only two N.L. players ever to be named Most Valuable Player on three occasions.

Four times he hit more than 30 home runs, and in 1953 he belted 41 homers and had 142 RBI, both major league records for a catcher.

He served as the Dodgers' catcher from 1949 through 1957, and the Dodgers won five N.L. pennants and a World Championship during that stretch. They also finished second, losing on the final day of the season, two other times.

Campanella's road to the major leagues was not an easy one. He signed at the age of 16 with the Baltimore Elite Giants in the Negro League and played with men twice his age. Once he caught four games in one day - a doubleheader in the afternoon and another twinbill that night.

The Dodgers signed Campanella in 1945 and sent him to Nashua along with a future Cy Young Award winner and an N.L. MVP - Don Newcombe. Campy and Newcombe found themselves under the tutelage of a manager who would also one day make the Hall of Fame - Walter Alston.

After injuries limited him to just 103 games in 1957, Campanella looked forward to the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles. But it wasn't to be.

January 1958
He suffered crippling injuries from an auto accident that left him fighting for his life. Those injuries were to end his playing career.

The Dodgers and defending World Champion New York Yankees then agreed to play an exhibition game during the 1959 season to honor Campanella.

On the afternoon of May 7, the Dodgers defeated the Giants, 2-1, in San Francisco before returning to Los Angeles that night for the exhibition game. That night, the Yankees knocked out Sandy Koufax in the sixth inning, scoring four runs off him enroute to a 6-2 victory.

But the highlight of the game came between the fifth and sixth innings when Campy - who was wheeled onto the field by former Dodger captain Pee Wee Reese - came out to be greeted by those paying tribute to him.

It was a breathtaking sight. The Coliseum lights dimmed, and in the darkness some 93,000 fans each lit a match for Campy.

It was Campanella himself who once said, "Baseball is played by men, but you have to have a lot of little boy in you to play the game." The night of May 7, 1959, certainly brought out the "little boy" in Campanella - and in many others who witnessed the event.

Union 76 Tribute
Artist: Richard Farrell

Hall of Fame Plaque
Inducted in 1969

Roy Campanella
Party Boxes 129 125

One of the game's most likeable, knowledgeable and talented players, Roy Campanella was a major contributor to the Dodgers from 1948-57... Much more than a force on the field with his pinpoint accurate throwing arm, "Campy" was a good-natured rock in the clubhouse who was appreciated by his teammates. He was well known for spinning yarns and giving friendly counsel to his fellow players at "Campy's Bullpen" outside the old clubhouse at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, FL. -Walter O'Malley

Roy Campanella
Number Retired on June 4, 1972

In 10 seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1948-57), Campy was a force both at the plate and behind the plate. The catcher played on five pennant-winning clubs, including the World Champions of 1955. That season, the eight-time All-Star became a three-time National League Most Valuable Player award winner after collecting 32 home runs and 107 RBI. He also garnered MVP honors in 1951 and 1953, when he led the league with a Brooklyn record 142 RBI to go with a career-high 41 home runs. Campanella, whose career was cut short due to a tragic automobile accident that left him paralyzed, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.