Rickey Henderson
*Rickey Henderson was born on this date in 1958. He was a Black major league baseball player and coach.
Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the back seat of an Oldsmobile on the way to the hospital. He was named after singer-actor Ricky Nelson, the son of John L. Henley and Bobbie Henley. When he was two, his father moved to Oakland, California. Rickey lived with his grandmother in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from two until he was seven when he migrated to Oakland with his family. His father died in an automobile accident, his mother married Paul Henderson in his junior year of high school, and the family adopted the Henderson surname.
As a child learning to play baseball in Oakland, Henderson developed the ability to bat right-handed. However, he was a naturally left-handed thrower—a rare combination for baseball players, especially non-pitchers. In 1976, Henderson graduated from Oakland Technical High School, where Henderson played baseball, basketball, and football, and was an All-American running back with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He also ran track but did not stay with the team as the schedule conflicted with baseball. Henderson received over a dozen scholarship offers to play football. He turned down football scholarships on his mother's advice, who argued that football players had shorter careers.
In 1983, Henderson married his high-school sweetheart, Pamela. They have three children: Angela, Alexis, and Adrianna. Henderson played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Many regard him as baseball's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds MLB records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 home run hitters and was its all-time leader in walks. In 2009, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Henderson holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases thrice in a season (in 1980, 1982, and 1983). His 1,406 career steals are 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 seasons. Henderson was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1990 and led the league in runs five times. His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dominant and innovative players ever. He was further known for his passion for playing baseball and his quotable personality that perplexed and entertained fans.
As of 2021, Henderson ranks first all-time in runs scored (2,295) and stolen bases (1,406), fourth in career games played (3,081), 13th in at-bats (10,961), and 25th in hits (3,055). He has the second-highest career power–speed number, behind Barry Bonds, at 490.4. Barry Bonds has since broken his record for most career walks (2,190); Henderson is now second but still holds the record for most unintentional walks (2,129). While his career batting average of .279 is considered somewhat modest for a leadoff hitter, his walks helped him post a stout .401 on-base percentage (OBP). He posted an OBP of at least .400 in 16 separate seasons, with a high mark of .439 in his 1990 MVP season. Henderson averaged 115 walks per 162 games over his career.
Nicknamed 'Man of Steal,' following a bout of pneumonia, Rickey Henderson died on December 20, 2024, five days before his 66th birthday. He had been a patient at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
