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Campy
Campanella made mark in Negro Leagues
By Jonathan Mayo/MLB.com

	Roy Campanella, with teammate Sammy T. Hughes, was 15 years old when he started playing for the Baltimore Elite Giants.

Campanella talks about playing in his first big-league series: 56k | 300k
Campanella on the catcher's equipment: 56k | 300k
Campanella's philosophy on catching: 56k | 300k
The Dodgers salute Campanella in 1959: 56k | 300k

Roy Campanella is probably best known for his 10-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. A three-time National League Most Valuable Player, including the 1953 season when he set records for home runs (41) for a catcher and led the National League with 142 RBIs, "Campy" appeared in five World Series with the Dodgers.

But before he joined the Dodgers to become the first black catcher in the Major Leagues, Campanella made a name for himself in the Negro National League, the winter leagues, and in Mexico.

Born in Philadelphia in 1921, Campanella began playing with a semi-pro team, the Bacharach Giants in 1937, nine years before Branch Rickey signed him. The Baltimore Elite Giants were so impressed with the 15-year-old catcher they offered him a uniform that year.

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After a battle with Baltimore's owner, Campy played in the Mexican League in 1942 and stayed there through the 1943 season. He came back to Baltimore and led the league in doubles in 1944 and RBIs in 1945.

	Roy Campanella helped the Dodgers win five pennants and one World Series title.

Campanella moved up to the Dodgers' top minor-league affiliate in Montreal for the 1947 season. Again, he was named MVP. He made the Dodgers in 1948, but didn't join the team until midseason.

For the next nine years, he was the Dodgers' starting catcher and one of their leaders. Brooklyn won pennants in 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1956. Under Campanella's leadership, the Dodgers also won the World Championship in '55. He won three National League MVP awards, set the single-season record for home runs and RBIs as a catcher.

Campanella's career was cut short by a car accident in 1958 that confined him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He finished his Major League career with 242 homers and 856 RBIs, all while handling the pressures of being the first black big-league catcher with grace and dignity.

For the rest of his life, Campanella committed himself to community relations for the Dodgers with the same discipline and attitude he had as a catcher.

Jonathan Mayo is a senior writer for MLB.com based in Pittsburgh. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.