Hank Aaron

American baseball right fielder, nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank," he was a great batting champ and one of the first of baseball's black super-stars. He played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1954-1974) in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (1975-1976) in the American League (AL).

He played with the Braves from 14 March 1954 when he made his debut against the Boston Red Sox with a thrilling three-hit game. He was called the Greatest Slugger in Baseball History. However, his impressive success had a down side, as it made his life a living hell with hate-mail from bigots and threats so ugly that he was forced to travel with a bodyguard.

When he retired in 1976, he had not only scored a lifetime total of 755 homers in his 22-year career, but the love and respect of his teammates and the reverence of his many fans. On 8 April 1994, a pre-game ceremony was scheduled to honor Aaron.

After his retirement, Aaron held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves, including senior vice president. 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.

His only health problem was sore knees. Aaron married twice and had six children. He died in his sleep on 22 January 2021, two weeks shy of his 87th birthday, in Atlanta.