View source for Roy Campanella

{{short description|American baseball player (1921–1993)}}
{{About|the baseball player|his son, the television director and producer|Roy Campanella II}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Roy Campanella
|image=Roy Campanella 1956.jpg
|caption=Campanella with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956
|position=[[Catcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1921|11|19}}
|birth_place=[[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_date={{Death date and age|1993|6|26|1921|11|19}}
|death_place=[[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles|Woodland Hills, California]], U.S.
|debutleague = NgL
|debutdate= 
|debutyear=1937
|debutteam=Washington Elite Giants
|debut2league =MLB
|debut2date=April 20
|debut2year=1948
|debut2team=Brooklyn Dodgers
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 29
|finalyear=1957
|finalteam=Brooklyn Dodgers
| statleague  = MLB
| stat1label  = [[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
| stat1value  = .283
| stat2label  = [[Home run]]s
| stat2value  = 260
| stat3label  = [[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
| stat3value  = 1,019
|teams=
* [[Baltimore Elite Giants|Washington / Baltimore Elite Giants]] ({{baseball year|1937}}–{{baseball year|1944}})
* [[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] ({{baseball year|1944}})
* [[Baltimore Elite Giants]] ({{baseball year|1945}})
* [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1948}}–{{mlby|1957}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[East–West All-Star Game|NgL All-Star]] (1941, 1944, 1945)
* 8× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1949 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1949]]–[[1956 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1956]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1955}})
* 3× [[NL MVP]] (1951, 1953, 1955)
* [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions#Negro leagues|Negro National League batting champion]] (1944)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|NL RBI leader]] (1953)
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers#Retired numbers|Los Angeles Dodgers No. 39]] retired
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1969 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1969]]
|hofvote=79.4% (seventh ballot)
}}

'''Roy Campanella''' (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "'''Campy'''", was an American professional [[baseball]] player, primarily as a [[catcher]]. The Philadelphia native played in the [[Negro leagues]] and [[Mexican Baseball League|Mexican League]] for nine years before entering the minor leagues in 1946. He made his [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) debut in 1948 for the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]], for whom he played until 1957. His playing career ended when he was [[paralysis|paralyzed]] in an automobile crash in January 1958. A [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award#Multiple MVP winners|three-time MVP]], he is considered one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game.<ref name=ThomasR-NYT-Obit>{{Cite news| last=Thomas | first=Robert McG. Jr. |author-link=Robert McG. Thomas |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DB103AF93BA15755C0A965958260 |title=Roy Campanella, 71, Dies; Was Dodger Hall of Famer |work=The New York Times |date=June 28, 1993 |access-date=2008-05-29}}</ref>

After he retired as a player as a result of the accident, Campanella held positions in [[scout (sport)|scouting]] and community relations with the Dodgers. He was inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1969.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/campanella-roy |title=Campanella, Roy |publisher=[[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Roy Campanella was born in Philadelphia on November 19, 1921 to parents Ida, who was [[African American]], and John Campanella, the son of [[Italian-Americans|Italian immigrants]]. Roy was the youngest of the four children born to the couple. They first lived in [[Germantown, Philadelphia|Germantown]], and then moved to [[Nicetown]] in [[North Philadelphia]], where the children attended integrated schools.<ref>'' Jackie & Campy'' by William C. Kashatus, pp.&nbsp;44</ref> 

He attended Gillespie Junior High School and [[Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter|Simon Gratz High School]], although he left high school before graduating. Because of their mixed-race, Campanella and his siblings were sometimes taunted by other children in school who called them "half-breed". Campanella had athletic gifts that he used to great effect; he was elected captain of every sports team he played on in high school, but baseball was his passion.<ref name=sabr-roy>{{cite web |title=Roy Campanella (SABR BioProject) |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/roy-campanella/}}</ref>

==Playing career==

===Negro leagues===
Of mixed race, Campanella was prohibited from MLB play as a result of the [[baseball color line]]. In 1937, at the age of 15, he began playing [[Negro league baseball]] for the [[Washington Elite Giants]] on weekends, subsequently dropping out of high school a few months later on his 16th birthday so he could play full time.<ref name=sabr-roy/><ref name="nlbemuseum.com">{{Cite web|url=https://nlbemuseum.com/history/players/campanella.html|title=Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum: Personal Profiles: Roy Campanella}}</ref> The Elite Giants moved to Baltimore the following year,<ref>[http://www.nlbpa.com/baltimore_elite_giants.html Baltimore Elite Giants] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222223651/http://www.nlbpa.com/baltimore_elite_giants.html |date=2007-12-22 }} Negro League Baseball Players Association website</ref> and Campanella became a star player with the team until 1945.<ref name=sabr-roy/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=campan001roy|title = Roy Campanella Mexican & Minor Leagues Statistics & History}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=campa01roy|title = Roy Campanella - Seamheads Negro Leagues Database}}</ref>

===Mexican and Venezuelan leagues===
During the 1942 season, Campanella left the Baltimore Elite Giants after a spat with owner Tom Wilson. He played the rest of the season and the following 1943 season in the [[Mexican Baseball League|Mexican League]] with the [[Sultanes de Monterrey]].<ref name="nlbemuseum.com"/> [[Lázaro Salazar]], the team's manager, told Campanella that one day he would play at the major league level. Campanella subsequently returned to the Elite Giants for the 1944–45 seasons.

In 1946, Campanella played in the newly formed [[Venezuelan Professional Baseball League]] on the [[Sabios de Vargas]] team, which he was co-coach and led to the league championship.

===Minor leagues===
Campanella moved into the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]]' [[Minor League Baseball|minor league]] system in {{mlby|1946}} as the Dodger organization began preparations to break the MLB color barrier with [[Jackie Robinson]].  His easy-going personality and strong work ethic were credited with his being able to move successfully between the races. Although [[Branch Rickey]] considered hiring Campanella to break baseball's color barrier, Rickey ultimately decided upon Robinson.<ref name="kashatus65">''Jackie & Campy'' by William C Kashatus, pp, 65-68 &75</ref>

For the 1946 season, Robinson was assigned to the [[Montreal Royals]], the Dodgers' affiliate in the Class AAA [[International League]].  On March 18, 1946, Campanella signed a contract to play for Danville Dodgers of the [[Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sports.ha.com/itm/baseball-collectibles/others/1946-roy-campanella-double-signed-class-b-danville-dodgers-player-s-contract/a/7123-81725.s|title=1946 Roy Campanella Double-Signed Class B Danville Dodgers {{!}} Lot #81725|website=Heritage Auctions|language=en|access-date=2018-12-05}}</ref> After the general manager of the Danville Dodgers reported that he did not feel the league was ready for [[racial integration]], the organization sent Campanella and pitcher [[Don Newcombe]] to the [[Nashua Dodgers]] of the Class B [[New England League]], where the Dodgers felt the climate would be more tolerant. The Nashua team thus became the first professional baseball team of the 20th century to field a racially integrated lineup in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Casey |first=Michael |date=May 30, 2023|agency=Associated Press |title=Nashua recognized for historic role in racially integrating baseball in the 1940s |url=https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-05-30/nashua-recognized-for-historic-role-in-racially-integrating-baseball-in-the-1940s |access-date=September 7, 2024 |publisher=[[New Hampshire Public Radio]]}}</ref>

Campanella's 1946 season proceeded largely without racist incidents, and in one game Campanella assumed the managerial duties after manager [[Walter Alston]] was ejected. Campanella was the first [[African American]] to manage White players of an organized professional baseball team. Nashua was three runs down at the time Campanella took over. They came back to win, in part due to Campanella's decision to use Newcombe as a pinch hitter during the seventh inning; Newcombe hit a game-tying two-run home run.

===Major League Baseball===
[[File:Roy Campanella 1953.jpg|thumb|180px|Campanella, circa 1953]]
Jackie Robinson's first season in the major leagues came in 1947, and Campanella began his MLB career with the Brooklyn Dodgers the following season, playing his first game on April 20, 1948. In later years, Robinson and his wife sometimes stayed with the Campanella family during some ballgames because adequate hotels for blacks could not be found in the city.<ref name="kashatus65"/>

After spending most of the beginning of the 1948 season on the bench, Campanella was assigned to the [[St. Paul Saints|Saint Paul Saints]], the Dodgers' affiliate in the Class AAA [[American Association (1902–1997)|American Association]], where he resided in the [[Rondo neighborhood]]. On May 18, Campanella become the first person to break the color barrier in the American Association when he entered a game. By early July, after having success against the league's pitching, he returned to the Dodgers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Five Black Players In St. Paul Saints History |url=https://www.milb.com/news/top-five-black-players-in-st-paul-saints-history |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=MiLB.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Borzi |first=Pat |date=2019-05-17 |title=With City of Baseball Museum, the Saints add a side of history to CHS Field |work=[[MinnPost]] |url=https://www.minnpost.com/sports/2019/05/with-city-of-baseball-museum-the-saints-add-a-side-of-history-to-chs-field/ |access-date=2023-05-11}}</ref>

Campanella stayed at the Major League level and played for the Dodgers from July {{mlby|1948}} through {{mlby|1957}} as their regular catcher. In 1948, he had three different uniform numbers (33, 39, and 56) before settling on 39 for the rest of his career.

Campanella was selected to the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] every year from {{mlby|1949}} through {{mlby|1956}}. With his 1949 All-Star selection, he was one of the first four African Americans so honored. (Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and [[Larry Doby]] were also All-Stars that year.)<ref>[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1949as.shtml 1949 All-Star Game]. – Baseball-Almanac.</ref>  In 1950 Campanella hit home runs in five straight games; the only other Dodgers to homer in five consecutive games are [[Shawn Green]] (2001), [[Matt Kemp]] (2010), [[Adrián González]] (2014–15), [[Joc Pederson]] (2015), [[Max Muncy]] (2019), and [[Shohei Ohtani]] (2025).<ref name="ocregister.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.ocregister.com/dodgers/denver-664320-dodgers-final.html|title=Joc Pederson homers again but Dodgers blow lead in ninth|work=The Orange County Register|date=3 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="truebluela.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.truebluela.com/2019/8/22/20828986/max-muncy-has-homered-in-5-straight-games-dodgers-news|title=Max Muncy is on a 5-game home run streak|work=True Blue LA|date=22 August 2019|access-date=8 May 2025|archive-date=23 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823053133/https://www.truebluela.com/2019/8/22/20828986/max-muncy-has-homered-in-5-straight-games-dodgers-news|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref name="mlb.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-homers-for-fifth-straight-game|title=Ohtani ties Dodgers record with HR in 5th straight game before L.A. walks it off|date=23 July 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Jim Gilliam in Japan 1956 IMG 20220429 0002.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Campanella with teammates [[Jackie Robinson]] and [[Jim Gilliam]] in Japan, 1956]]

Campanella received the [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] (MVP) award in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] three times: in {{mlby|1951}}, {{mlby|1953}}, and {{mlby|1955}}. In each of his MVP seasons, he batted over .300, hit more than 30 home runs, and had more than 100 runs batted in (RBI). His 142 RBI during 1953 exceeded the franchise record of 130, which had been held by [[Jack Fournier]] ({{mlby|1925}}) and [[Babe Herman]] ({{mlby|1930}}). Today, it is the second most in franchise history, [[Tommy Davis (outfielder)|Tommy Davis]] breaking it with 153 RBI in {{mlby|1962}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Single-Season Batting Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/leaders_bat_season.shtml |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> That same year, Campanella hit 40 home runs in games in which he appeared as a catcher, a record that lasted until {{mlby|1996}}, when it was exceeded by [[Todd Hundley]]. In his career, he threw out 57% of the [[Baserunning|base runners]] who tried to [[Stolen base|steal]] a base on him, the highest percentage of any catcher in major league history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for Caught Stealing % |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/caught_stealing_perc_career.shtml |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref><ref>[http://members.tripod.com/bb_catchers/catchers/100BestCSCar.pdf 100 Best Catcher CS% Totals at The Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers]</ref> He also had four seasons where he threw out more than 60% of attempted base stealers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Single-Season Leaders & Records for Caught Stealing % |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/caught_stealing_perc_season.shtml |access-date=2025-08-29 |website=Baseball Reference}}</ref>

In 1955, Campanella's final MVP season, he helped Brooklyn win its first [[World Series]] championship. After the Dodgers lost the first two games of [[1955 World Series|the series]] to the Yankees, Campanella began Brooklyn's comeback by hitting a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning of Game 3. The Dodgers won that game, got another home run from Campanella in a Game 4 victory that tied the series, and then went on to claim the series in seven games when [[Johnny Podres]] shut out the Yankees 2–0 in Game 7.

Campanella caught three [[no-hitter]]s during his career: [[Carl Erskine]]'s two, on June 19, {{mlby|1952}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Boxscore: Brooklyn Dodgers 5, Chicago Cubs 0 |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1952/B06190BRO1952.htm |work=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref> and May 12, {{mlby|1956}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Boxscore: Brooklyn Dodgers 3, New York Giants 0 |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B05120BRO1956.htm |work=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref> and [[Sal Maglie]]'s on September 25, 1956.<ref>{{cite web |title=Boxscore: Brooklyn Dodgers 5, Philadelphia Phillies 0 |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1956/B09250BRO1956.htm |work=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref><ref name="Art of Pitching"/> "In my no-hitter...I only shook Campy off once," Maglie recalled. "He was doing the thinking, calling the pitches just right for every batter in every situation, and all I had to do was check the sign to see if I agreed and then throw."<ref name="Art of Pitching">{{cite magazine|last=Terrell|first=Roy|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1958/03/17/part-1-sal-maglie-on-the-art-of-pitching|title=Part 1: Sal Maglie on the Art of Pitching|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=March 17, 1958|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>

After the [[1957 in baseball|1957 season]], the Brooklyn Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles and became the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Campanella's playing career came to an end as a result of an automobile accident. He never played a game for Los Angeles.

==Automobile crash==
Campanella lived on [[East Island (Long Island Sound)|East Island]] in [[Glen Cove, New York]], on the North Shore of [[Long Island]]; he operated a liquor store in [[Harlem]] between regular-season games and during the off-season. After closing the store for the night on January 28, 1958, he began his drive home to Glen Cove. While he was traveling at about {{convert|30|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, his rented [[1957 Chevrolet]] sedan hit a patch of ice at an S-curve on Dosoris Lane near Apple Tree Lane in Glen Cove, skidded into a telephone pole, and overturned, breaking Campanella's neck. He fractured the fifth and sixth cervical [[vertebrae]] and compressed the [[spinal cord]].<ref name=Time-MBtP>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051113155241/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,868262,00.html "Man Behind the Plate"]. – ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]''. – February 10, 1958. – Retrieved: 2008-05-30</ref><ref name=Time-SBandS>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110219021945/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,896537,00.html "Seat Belts & Safety"]. – ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]''. – August 24, 1962. – Retrieved: 2008-05-29</ref> The crash left Campanella paralyzed from the shoulders down.<ref name=Time-MBtP /> With physical therapy, he was eventually able to regain substantial use of his arms and hands.<ref name=Time-Scoreboard>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081201223440/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,863188,00.html "Scoreboard"]. – ''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]''. – March 17, 1958. – Retrieved: 2008-05-30</ref> He was able to feed himself, shake hands, and gesture while speaking, but he required a wheelchair for mobility for the remainder of his life.<ref name="smith">Smith Andrew. "Greatest Dodger of All", ''New York Newsday.'' June 28, 1993, p. 8.</ref>

Campanella wrote his autobiography, ''It's Good to Be Alive'', which was published in 1959; in it, he discussed his convalescence and partial recovery after the crash. [[Michael Landon]] directed a TV-movie based on the book, ''[[It's Good to Be Alive (film)|It's Good to Be Alive]]'' (1974), which was considerably fictionalized. Campanella was portrayed by [[Paul Winfield]].

==Post-playing career==
After his playing career and rehabilitation, Campanella remained involved with the Dodgers. In January 1959, the Dodgers named him assistant supervisor of scouting for the [[eastern United States]] and special coach at the team's annual [[spring training]] camp in [[Vero Beach, Florida]], serving each year as a mentor and coach to young catchers in the Dodger organization.<ref name=Time-NR-1959-01-12>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937074,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201082946/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937074,00.html |title=News Roundup |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]] |date=January 12, 1959 |archive-date=February 1, 2011 |quote=Not quite a year after his 22-year career as a homer-hammering catcher ended in a Long Island auto accident, Old Dodger Roy Campanella was back in baseball. His new job, at an estimated $25,000 a year: assistant supervisor of scouting for Los Angeles in the eastern part of the U.S.. and special coach at the Bums' spring training camp at Vero Beach. Fla.}}</ref>

On September 27, 1959, Campanella appeared as himself in an episode of ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'' called "The Mascot" in which he coached the Calverton boys' baseball team and advised Timmy about a matter of cheating. 

On May 7, 1959, the Dodgers, then playing their second season in [[Los Angeles]], honored him with "Roy Campanella Night" at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]. The [[1959 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] agreed to make a special visit to Los Angeles (between road series in [[1959 Kansas City Athletics season|Kansas City]] and [[1959 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago]]) to play an exhibition game against the Dodgers for the occasion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krell |first1=David |title=May 7, 1959: Roy Campanella Night |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/may-7-1959-roy-campanella-night/ |website=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]}}</ref>

The Yankees won the Thursday night game 6–2, with an attendance of 93,103, setting a record at that time for the largest crowd to attend a Major League Baseball game. The proceeds from the game went to defray Campanella's medical bills.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Muder |first1=Craig |title=Fans fill Coliseum for Campanella tribute |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/fans-fill-coliseum-for-roy-campanella-night |website=[[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum]]}}</ref>

On March 28, 1970, Campanella was named manager of the West team in the [[East-West Major League Baseball Classic]], a charity exhibition All-Star game held in honor of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] It was the first time he wore his Dodgers uniform since his career-ending accident.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Verducci |first1=Tom |author-link=Tom Verducci |date=January 18, 2021 |title=The Greatest (Forgotten) Game Ever Played: MLB's 1970 Exhibition to Honor MLK |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/01/18/martin-luther-king-day-baseball-hall-of-fame |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]}}</ref>

In 1978, Campanella moved to [[California]] and accepted a job with the Dodgers as assistant to the director of community relations, [[Don Newcombe]], his former teammate and longtime friend.

A historic marker was installed in [[Nashua, New Hampshire]] by the [https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/2023/05/30/nashua-nh-holman-stadium-black-heritage-trail-baseball-dodgers/70268044007/ Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire] to celebrate the achievements of Campanella and Newcombe in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Casey |first=Michael |title=Nashua's Holman Stadium honored for historic role in racially integrating baseball |url=https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/2023/05/30/nashua-nh-holman-stadium-black-heritage-trail-baseball-dodgers/70268044007/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Portsmouth Herald |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Campanella was married three times. His first marriage, to Bernice Ray on January 3, 1939, ended in divorce. They had two daughters together.

On April 30, 1945, he married Ruthe Willis, who brought her son David to the marriage. They had three children together (including a son, [[Roy Campanella II]], who became a television director). Their marriage deteriorated after Campanella's accident; they separated in 1960. Ruthe died of a heart attack at age 40 in January 1963.

On May 5, 1964, Campanella married [[Roxie Joynes Campanella|Roxie Doles]], who survived him.

===Death===
Campanella died of [[heart failure]] at age 71 on June 26, 1993, at his home in [[Woodland Hills, California]].<ref name=ThomasR-NYT-Obit /><ref name=AndersonD-NYT-1993-06-28>{{Cite news|last=Anderson|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Anderson (sportswriter)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/28/sports/baseball-sports-of-the-times-in-roy-campanella-the-heart-of-a-hero.html|title=BASEBALL: Sports of The Times; In Roy Campanella, The Heart of a Hero|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 28, 1993|access-date=2008-05-29}}</ref> His body was cremated at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Thornley |first=Stew |author-link=Stew Thornley |year=2003 |title=Reviews: The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of Over 7,600 Major League Players and Others. By Bill Lee. |journal=Nineteenth Century Notes |volume=2003 |pages=6 |publisher=Nineteenth Century Committee, Society for American Baseball Research |location=Watertown, Massachusetts |url=http://www.sabr.org/cmsFiles/Files/19cN.2003.11.pdf |access-date=2008-10-13 |quote=Often a cemetery that performs a cremation gets listed as the interment site. Thus Lee lists Roy Campanella as buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, although Campanella was only cremated there with his remains returned to the family.}}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = LAret39.PNG
|Name   = Roy Campanella
|Number = 39
|Team   = Los Angeles Dodgers
|Year   = 1972
|}}
In July<!-- 28, Monday --> 1969, Campanella was [[1969 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|inducted]] into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[Cooperstown, New York|Cooperstown]],<ref name=schnof>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Lz1HAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q-kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=429%2C5948381 |work=Schenectady Gazette |location=New York |agency=Associated Press |title=Baseball enshrines 4 at Cooperstown |date=July 29, 1969 |page=20}}</ref><!-- https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VspRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D20DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3777%2C4058941 --> the second player of black heritage so honored, after [[Jackie Robinson]]. The same year, he received the [[Bronze Medallion (New York City award)|Bronze Medallion]] from the City of [[New York City|New York]].

Campanella was elected to the [[Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México|Mexican Professional Baseball Hall Of Fame]] in 1971.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.salondelafamadelbeisbolmexicano.com/inmortales-39-71 |publisher=Salón de la Fama del Beisbol Profesional de México |title=Inmortales |language=es}}</ref> On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Campanella's uniform number 39 alongside [[Jackie Robinson]]'s number 42 and [[Sandy Koufax]]'s number 32.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dodgers Retired Numbers|website=[[Major League Baseball|MLB.com]]|url=https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/history/retired-numbers}}</ref>

In 1999, Campanella ranked number 50 on ''[[The Sporting News]]''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players|magazine=[[The Sporting News]]|date=April 26, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416222917/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-50.html |archive-date=April 16, 2005 |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-50.html}}</ref> and was a nominee for the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]]. In 2020, ''[[The Athletic]]'' ranked Campanella at number 94 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter [[Joe Posnanski]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |author-link=Joe Posnanski |date=December 24, 2019 |title=The Baseball 100: No. 94, Roy Campanella |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1424245/2019/12/24/the-baseball-100-no-94-roy-campanella/ |magazine=[[The Athletic]]}}</ref>

Campanella was featured on a United States [[postage stamp]] in 2006. The stamp is one of a block of four honoring baseball sluggers, the others being [[Mickey Mantle]], [[Hank Greenberg]], and [[Mel Ott]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2005/sr05_054.htm |title=The 2006 Commemorative Stamp Program|work=United States Postal Service|access-date=January 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018040857/http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2005/sr05_054.htm |archive-date=October 18, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> 

In September 2006, the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] announced the creation of the [[Roy Campanella Award]]. The club's players and coaches vote on it annually, and is given to the Dodger who best exemplifies "Campy's" spirit and leadership. Shortstop [[Rafael Furcal]] was named the inaugural winner of the award.

Campanella is mentioned in the lyrics of multiple songs, including "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit that Ball?", written and recorded by Buddy Johnson in 1949 (and covered by Count Basie and his Orchestra that same year), "[[We Didn't Start the Fire]]" by [[Billy Joel]], and in the refrain of "[[Talkin' Baseball]]" by [[Terry Cashman]].

Roy Campanella Park, a recreation center operated by the [[Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation]] in unincorporated [[West Rancho Dominguez, California]], is named after him.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-16 |title=Roy Campanella Park |url=https://parks.lacounty.gov/roy-campanella-park/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=Los Angeles County - Parks & Recreation}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career double plays as a catcher leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career putouts as a catcher leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]
* [[List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
===Books===
* {{cite book |author1=Campanella |first=Roy |title=It's Good to Be Alive |publisher=Little Brown and Co. |date= |url=https://archive.org/details/itsgoodtobealive00camp |year=1995 |isbn=978-080-326-3635 |orig-year=1959}}
* {{cite book |author=Lanctot |first=Neil |title=Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |date=2011 |isbn=978-141-654-7044 |author-link=Neil Lanctot |url=https://archive.org/details/campytwolivesofr0000lanc/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book |author=Kashatus |first=William C. |title=Jackie & Campy: The Untold Story of Their Rocky Relationship and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Line |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |date=2014 |isbn=978-080-324-6331 |url=https://archive.org/details/jackiecampyuntol0000kash/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book |author=Kahn |first=Roger |title=The Boys of Summer |publisher=[[Harper & Row]] |date=1972 |isbn=978-006-088-3966 |author-link=Roger Kahn |url=https://archive.org/details/boysofsummer00kahn}}

===Articles===
* {{cite magazine |author=Fimrite |first=Ron |title=Triumph of the Spirit |date=September 24, 1990 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1990/09/24/triumph-of-the-spirit-three-decades-after-his-crippling-accident-roy-campanella-is-still-getting-the-most-out-of-life}}
* {{cite magazine |author=Fimrite |first=Ron |title=Baseball's Best Ambassador |date=July 3, 1993 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1993/07/05/baseballs-best-ambassador}}
* {{cite magazine |author=Verducci |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Verducci |title=The Greatest (Forgotten) Game Ever Played: MLB's 1970 Exhibition to Honor MLK |date=January 18, 2021 |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/01/18/martin-luther-king-day-baseball-hall-of-fame}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{baseballstats|mlb=111915|br=c/camparo01|fangraphs=1001871|brm=campan001roy|retro=C/Pcampr102}}, or [https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/player.php?playerID=campa01roy Seamheads]
* {{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|campanella-roy}}
* {{SABR Baseball Biography Project|roy-campanella}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0132111|name=Roy Campanella}}

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