Induction into Hall of Fame

On March 20, 1973, the Baseball Writers Association of America held a special election for the Baseball Hall of Fame. They voted to waive the waiting period for Clemente, due to the circumstances of his death, and posthumously elected him for induction into the Hall of Fame, giving him 393 of the 420 available votes. Clemente's plaque reads: memeber of the exclusive 3,000 hit club, led National League in batting four times, had four seasons with 200 or more hits while posting lifetime .317 average and 240 home runs. Won MVP in 1966. Rifle-armed defensive star set N.L. mark by pacing outfielder assists in five years. Batted .362 in two World Series, hitting in all 14 games.

What Clemente's plaque fails to mention is his great accomplishments off the field which is what everyone remembers best about him. He was a great person who always worried about those who were unfortunate and always gave back to him community. Clemente died enjoying what he loved most; playing baseball and helping others.

Clemente's Obituary

This article was posted in the New York Times on January 2, 1973

Roberto Clemente, star outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, died late last night in the crash of a cargo plane carrying relief supplies to the victims of the earthquake in Managua.
Three days of national mourning for Mr. Clemente were proclaimed in his native Puerto Rico, where he was the most popular sports figure in the island's history. He is a certainty to be enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame. He was only the 11th man in baseball history to get 3,000 hits, and his lifetime batting average of .317 was the highest among active players.
Mr. Clemente, who was 38 years old, won the National League batting championship four times in his 18-season career, was named to the All-Star team 12 times and in 1966 was named the league's Most Valuable Player. He was also one of the finest defensive outfielders with a very strong throwing arm. He led the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, in 1960 and 1971, the latter time being named the Most Valuable Player in the World Series.
Mr. Clemente was the leader of Puerto Rican efforts to aid the Nicaraguan victims and was aboard the plane because he suspected that relief supplies were falling into the hands of profiteers.
The four-engined DC-7 piston-powered plane crashed moments after takeoff from San Juan International Airport at 9:22 P.M.
The plane, carrying a crew of three and one other passenger, came down in heavy seas a mile and a half from shore.
Coast Guard planes circled the area trying to locate the plane by the light of flares. The wreckage was not found until 5 P.M. today in about 100 feet of water. There was no sign of survivors.
Airport officials said the plane crashed after making a normal left bank while climbing after the takeoff. It could not be learned if the pilot, identified as Jerry Hill, radioed that he was in difficulty.
Cristobal Colon, a friend of Mr. Clemente who was working on the committee to raise funds and collect clothing for the earthquake victims, said he had driven Mr. Clemente and his wife, Vera, to the airport. Mrs. Clemente did not board the plane.
Mrs. Clemente said she was concerned that the plane seemed old and overloaded, but her husband assured her that everything would be all right. When the pilot did not show up until late, she said he told her, "If there is one more delay, we'll leave this for tomorrow."
Mr. Colon said Mr. Clemente had insisted on going with the flight to make certain that the supplies got into the hands of the people who needed them. "He had received reports that some of the food and clothing he had sent earlier had fallen into the hands of profiteers," said Mr. Colon.
Mr. Clemente had been asked to take part in the collection of funds by Luis Vigoraux, a television producer.
"He did not just lend his name to the fund-raising activities the way some famous personalities do," said Mr. Vigoraux. "He took over the entire thing, arranging for collection points, publicity and the transportation to Nicaragua."
Mr. Clemente's relief organization had collected $150,000 in cash and tons of clothing and foodstuffs. More money and clothing are still being donated.
"We sent a ship loaded with supplies during the week," said a member of the earthquake relief committee. "One of the reasons Roberto went on the plane was to get there before the ship arrived to see the supplies were distributed properly."
The baseball star was supposed to be met at the airport by Anastasio Somoza, the Nicaraguan military leader, a friend said.
Mr. Clemente's interest in Nicaragua may have been heightened by his experience in managing the Puerto Rican team that participated in the amateur world series held in Managua in late November and December. Sixteen teams participated. The Puerto Ricans took fifth place.
News of Mr. Clemente's death plunged Puerto Rico into mourning.
Gov. Louis A. Ferre decreed three days of mourning and Governor-elect Rafael Hernandez Colon, who will be sworn into office tomorrow, ordered the cancellation of an inaugural ball and all other social activities related to the inauguration.

Roberto Clemente Sports City

Established in 1974, Roberto Clemente Sports City is an organization dedicated to providing athletic opportunities and life lessons for young people throughout Puerto Rico and other Latin American Countries. Sports City occupies 304 acres in Carolina, on the outskirts of San Juan, consisting of baseball, football and soccer fields, a swimming pool, tennis courts, training facilities and meeting rooms.
After a gift of land by the Puerto Rican government, RCSC opened its doors. The Clemente family has maintained steady guidance and vision for Sports City. Sports City's Board of Directors consists of Roberto's wife, Vera, who is Chairperson, along with his son Luis who President and CEO of Sports City. Through the years, Roberto Clemente Sports City has grown in both reputation and participation, with more than 200,000 young people taking part in RCSC activities over the past year. Increasingly RCSC is receiving attention as an effective model of social development for young people seeking positive alternatives to the negative influences that too often invade their lives.
At RCSC, young athletes learn the value of fair competition, hone their skills at the sports they love, and play their games while experiencing the timeless lessons that sports can bestow such as teamwork, friendship, honesty, and the rewards of hard work. In the process they receive gifts they will not lose, including the self-esteem that comes from accomplishment gained through dedication and perseverance. RCSC is a sports complex, but to the thousands of young people who have passed through its programs, it is also a classroom.
Drawing on the instruction of some of the leading figures in each sport, including former major league baseball players and current NFL stars, Sports City offers participants high quality instruction. In the process, RCSC occupies a unique place in Puerto Rico, one which has been recognized at sports' highest levels. The centerpiece of RCSC's programs, and the one which draws the greatest number of participants, Roberto Clemente Sports City offers year-round training and competition in baseball in their Reviving Baseball in Inner cities program. Summer instructional camps are directed by former major leaguers and current ones regularly make their way to RCSC to help teach lessons for use both on and off the field. In 2007 and 2008 the Washington Nationals held open tryouts at the complex, which attracted more than 300 aspiring ballplayers and the signings of a couple of players. For the past 5 years RCSC is host to Puerto Rico's only youth american football league. More than 800 individuals take part.
The Roberto Clemente Sports City offers unique opportunities for young people to play their sports, to learn the timeless values that sports impart, and, in the end, to change their lives permanently for the better. We believe, too, that RCSC has the capacity to be regarded as a premier model for youth development. There are few better ways to transform the despair of marginalized young people into confidence and optimism than allowing them to play their games and using those games as instructional vehicle for positive life lessons. RCSC has pursued this path since its inception.
Roberto Clemente's accomplishments on the baseball field prefaced his work as a humanitarian, and, as with all great humanitarians, the vision lives on, continuing to touch lives and build new futures. An icon throughout Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Latin America and around the world, Roberto Clemente established a legacy that shines through clearly several decades after his death.

Overview of Life

Roberto Clemente became a baseball legend during the 1960's and 70's with his explosive throwing arm, lightening speed, and consitently high batting average. But for fans from Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America, Clemente was a cultural hero who gave underpriveledged people a voice.

Roberto Clemente grew up in Carolina, Puerto Rico as the youngest of seven children. He was a great athlete in every thing he competed in, but Clemente's true passion was baseball. At the age of 14, he began playing with grown men and people became amazed how he was so much better than his competition. By the age of 18, he signed on to play in the Puerto Rican Professional League which led to many Major League Baseball scouts first learn of him. Clemenete eventually signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. After not being promoted to the Dodgers, Clemente played sparingly in Canada and in Puerto Rico, but struggled because he was so commited to playing professionally in America. Eventually, Branch Rickey, who left the Dodgers for the Pittsburgh Pirates, immidiately picked up Clemente's contract from the Dodgers.Roberto Clemente went on to play 18 seasons for the Pirates and broght the city of Pittsburgh 12 gold glove awards, the 1966 National League MVP, and 2 World Series Championships, but perhaps no awards could ever equal the racism and racial discrimination he dealt with throughout his career.

Clemente was an active defender of the rights of others as he protested whenever fans yelled racial insults at him or one of his teammates. He became union leader for the players association and demanded better working conditions. His time in baseball was constantly marked by racial tension because members of the media would make fun of him constantly for his accent. He was often misquoted in newspapers by writers spelling what the words out of his mouth sounded like.

Clemente dreamed of creating a recreational sports center for young athletes of Puerto Rico. He hoped to teach kids the values of hard work and personal integrity. He helped build the Roberto Clemente Sports City which to this day provides to wide variety of programs for young athletes. It's a great facility that includes a baseball stadium, practice fields, and a fully equipped gymnasium among other things. Many stars such as Roberto Alomar, Ivan Rodriguez, and Ruben Sierra trained at this facility.

On December 23, 1972 an earthquake devastated the country of Nicaragua. Clemente had spent time their managing a team so he accepted the job as chairman of a relief committee and was able raise a ton of money and gather food and clothing to be shipped there. Clemente wanted to make sure that the resources could reach Nicaragua safely so he boarded the flight that would go there. The plane never made it to the destination.

Roberto Clemente's legacy lives on to this day as his name has been used for stadiums, schools, and hospitals in Puerto Rico, The United States, and Nicaragua. After his death, Major League Baseball established an award that bears Clemente's name which is given to the players that bests emulates humanitarianism. In Puerto Rico, an award is given in his name at public schools to children who excel as athletes, students, and citizens.