Henry Aaron
Facts in Brief
Birth: February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama
Died: Stilll living
Parents: Were Estella and Herbert Aaron
Education: He went through high school and graduated from the Allen Institute
Hank Aaron was born February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama. He is still living. His full name is Henry Lewis Aaron. His parents are Estella and Herbert Aaron (Britannica.com, 1).
He graduated from Allen Institute in 1951. Hank first played ball for the Mobile Bears, which was only for Negroes. In 1954, he went from being a Mobile Bear to the Major League's. He played for the Milwaukee Braves of the National League (the Milwaukee Braves later changed to the Atlanta Braves). In 1957, Hank Aaron was the National League's MVP (most valuable player) after helping the Braves win the World Series. That was his first World Series win ( Merit Encyclopedia Vol. 1)
Since the World Series through 1974, he was on the National League All-Star team for a record breaking 20 years. On April 8, 1974 in Atlanta, Hank made history when he broke Babe Ruth's all time home run record with his 715 home run (Sports Champions).
Later in the 1976 season, Hank Aaron retired with a 755 career home runs, to beat the record by 40 homers. His National League baseball batting average was .305. Baseball experts call him"the greatest natural right-handed hitter of all time"(Sports Champions).
After his record breaking home-run, Hank was met at home plate by his parents. He received a 10 minute standing ovation from the happy fans. (Merit Encyclopedia Vol 1).
Aaron's career was filled with wonderful seasons. Highlights of his baseball career include his choice as the National League's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1957. The Sporting News named him player of the year for two years.(Sports Champions Vol.1).
Hank Aaron received many awards for his excellent baseball skills. He is known to be one of the best players in Major League Baseball History. (Sports Champions Vol.1).
Aaron's batting records include total of 755 home runs, 1477 extra base hits, and 2297 runs batted in. His other career stats include a 2174 runs scored, second to Ty Cobb, and 12,364 times at bat in 3298 games, second to Pete Rose. His 3771 hits were exceeded only by those of Ty Cobb and Pete Rose (Encyclopedia Britannica).
He is known to be one of the best baseball players to ever play baseball. His position was right-field. During his twenty-three seasons in the major leagues (1954-1976), he surpassed batting records set by some of the greatest hitters in the game of baseball, including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Stan Musial. (Britannica Encyclopedia)
Works Cited
"Hank Aaron." The Lincoln Library of Sports Champions.
4 ed. Vol. 1. Columbus, Ohio: Frontier Press Company, 1985. 18-25.
Bernstein, Alan M. "Aaron, Hank." Merit Students Encyclopedia. 1 ed. Vol. 1. Londan and New york: P.F. Collier, 1980. 2.
http://www.britanica.com/
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