Baseball great Willie Howard Mays (1931–2024) was born in the steel-mill town of Westfield, Alabama. In high school, he excelled in football and idolized Joe DiMaggio.

“They throw the ball, I hit it. They hit the ball, I catch it,” he once said.

He joined the New York Giants in 1951, moved with the team to San Francisco, and for 22 years astonished fans with boundless passion, talent, and graceful athleticism. As sportswriter Arthur Daley noted, Mays “could do everything and do it better than anyone else, with a joyous grace.”

“I don't make history,” Mays said. “I catch fly balls.” He played with infectious passion, humility, and firece dedication. Even at the height of his fame, he remained grounded and consistent.

With 3,283 hits, 660 home runs, and a .302 career average, Mays made the game look effortless. Journalist Larry Schwartz praised, “He made the game seem like fun.”

“I was very creative in the outfield,” Mays once reflected. “I had the ability to hit for both power and average, and my base running was just something that I had an instinct for.”

And what instinct he had!

Beyond the ballpark, Mays embodied the power of quiet leadership. As a Black athlete who rose to greatness in the face of adversity, he became a role model of character, humility, and joyful perseverance. “I didn’t try to be the best,” he said. “I just tried to be me.” And that was more than enough to inspire generations.

Baseball player Bobby Bonds said it best: “There'll be another regular Giants center fielder some day, but never another Willie Mays.”