Baseball legend Hank Aaron did more than break records
A poor kid from the deep south, Henry Aaron overcame economic and racial hardship to become a sporting and civil rights hero.
A poor kid with a big dream
Henry "Hammerin' Hank" Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama, to a family so poor that they could not afford to buy baseball equipment, leaving him to hit rocks and bottle caps with a stick in order to practice. Soon, however, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves. He led the team to championships, as here in 1957, while enduring intense racial prejudice.
When 'Hammerin' Hank' eclipsed the 'Bambino'
Aaron broke and still holds a number of Major League records, decades after the end of his active career. He secured his place among baseball's gods, however, by eclipsing Babe Ruth's career home run record of 714 on April 8, 1974. Aaron retired with 755 homers, a record that stood for 33 years before Barry Bonds beat it. Bonds' use of performance enhancing drugs tainted that record though.
A hero who gave back
Aaron was a champion and promoter of youth baseball and adored by young fans. Here he takes time to teach batting technique to Little League players during an Atlanta Braves baseball camp.
Sports hero, civil rights advocate and honored citizen
Not only a sports hero, Aaron was an advocate for civil rights. Growing up in the south and living through segregation and the Jim Crow era made him question his purpose in life. Known as a humble and generous man, he realized that he was put on earth "to help others." In 2002, he was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush
Honoring those who went before him
Aaron experienced racial hatred as a player and was among the first generation of Black people to play professional sports. He is seen here in 2013, with his wife Billye, at the premiere of the film "42," about the life of Jackie Robinson, who broke the so-called "color barrier" to become the first Black to play Major League Baseball.
A lasting legacy in the community
Aaron, his wife Billye, friends and family celebrate the legend's 86th birthday on February 5, 2020, at the newly christened Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron Academic Complex at Atlanta Technical College. For decades Aaron contributed to the college in his hometown as well as providing financing scholarships for his Chasing the Dream Foundation.