Roberto Clemente
Pittsburgh Pirates Outfielder
Early Life
Getting Involved
When the Pirates won the World Series in 1971, Roberto skipped the team party, and walked the streets of Pittsburgh to personally thank the fans. In 1972, Nicaragua had a devastating earthquake. Roberto insisted on personally delivering the supplies collected by the Puerto Ricans. However, his plane crashed into the ocean soon after take-off, killing Roberto. The cause of the crash was never determined, although overload is a likely factor. He had always dreamed of opening a baseball camp in Puerto Rico, after his retirement, free of charge, teaching children about hard work and citizenship.
Choices and Results
His Quotes
- "If you have an opportunity to make things better, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth."
-"I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all I had to give."
-"I am convinced that God wanted me to be a baseball player."
Words For Him
"He was the best free-agent athlete I have ever seen," - Al Campanis
"Roll the ball," - Sandy Koufax when asked how to pitch to Clemente
"He fell into the water so that his spirit could be carried by the ocean to more places,"
- Anon.