By: Johnny Cash

 Childhood  Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron was born on Feb. 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama to Herbert and Estella Aaron.  He had seven siblings. His brother Tommie Aaron also went on to play Major League Baseball.  Hank grew up picking cotton which many people think helped him hit so many homeruns.  He grew up in a poor family. They couldn’t afford baseball equipment, so he practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks.

 Education  Aaron and his family moved to the middle-class Toulminville neighborhood when he was 8 years old. Aaron developed a strong affinity for baseball and football at a young age, and tended to focus more heavily on sports than his studies.  During his freshman and sophomore years, he attended Central High School, a segregated high school in Mobile, where he excelled at both football and baseball. On the baseball diamond, he played shortstop and third base.  In his junior year, Aaron transferred to the Josephine Allen Institute, a neighboring private school that had an organized baseball program.  In 1951, the 18-year-old Aaron quit school to play for the Negro Baseball League's Indianapolis Clowns.

 Career  After graduating from high school, he played with the Indianapolis Clowns only briefly.  Soon he attracted the interests of several Major League Baseball teams, and in 1952 he signed with the Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta Braves). He played for the Braves' minor league teams.  He spent a year in the Class C Northern League and was promoted to the Class A Southern League for the 1953 season. Not only was he among the first African American players admitted into the league, but he also won most valuable player (MVP) honor.  In 1954 he made his major league debut on opening day.

 Acheivements  He played baseball from 1954 to 1976  He hit 755 home runs which broke Babe Ruth’s record.  He won the Golden Glove Award 3 times in a row.  Elected to the All-Star Team 25 times.  August 1, 1982 inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Wrote autobiography I Had a Hammer in 1990  Owns Hank Aaron BMW of South Atlanta where he gives an autographed baseball with every car sold  Works for the Braves Organization

 "As far as I'm concerned, (Hank) Aaron is the best ball player of my era. He is to baseball of the last 15 years what Joe DiMaggio was before him. He's never received the credit he's due." - Mickey Mantle in Baseball Digest (June 1970)

  Wikipedia:  Baseball Library: ame=hank_aaron_1934  Google Images Bibliography