In 1970, Flood - a three-time all-star and seven-time Gold Glove winner - challenged what was known as baseball's reserve clause, which prevented a player from signing with another team even after their contract expired. He also has his own Presidential Medal of Freedom.Īnd on the baseball team, Robinson shared the diamond with Curt Flood, one of the best center fielders of all time and the reason that professional athletes today can become free agents. Russell won 11 NBA titles, five MVP awards and was the first African-American head coach in any U.S. On the basketball team, he was joined by Bill Russell, almost universally regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history. It was the 1951-52 school year, and Robinson played baseball and basketball for McClymonds High School. "It's a pretty incredible story," Brekke-Miesner said. On top of that, he was the first African-American manager in both leagues (including a four-year stint with the Giants in the early '80s), a Hall of Famer and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.īut one could argue that he wasn't even the best athlete in his high school class. He ranks 10th on the all-time home run list and is the only person to win baseball's Most Valuable Player award in both leagues. Robinson, who grew up in West Oakland and died on Thursday at the age of 83, more than fulfilled that early potential. "Certain players, their talent is just so head and shoulders above their competitors that they stand out. "He was what we call a man-child athlete," said Paul Brekke-Miesner, a local sports historian and author of "Home Field Advantage," a book about Oakland-bred athletes like Robinson. When he tried out for an American Legion team at North Oakland's Bushrod Park as a 15-year-old, he hit a home run in his first at bat. It was clear early on that Frank Robinson was going to be a star.
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