Hammerin' Hank: The Legacy of Hank Aaron

Today, we honor a true icon, a man whose name is synonymous with perseverance, power, and class—Henry 'Hank' Aaron. Now, Let's explore the life and legacy of 'Hammerin' Hank' Aaron.

Early Life and Entry into Baseball

Born on February 5, 1934, in Mobile, Alabama, Henry Aaron grew up in a time when segregation was still very much a part of American life. He was 1 of 8 children. One thing I bet you didn’t know is that young Henry Aaron was a boy scout and he continued to support the scouts throughout his life. Mobile was a poor area and organized baseball opportunities were not really available to him and other children in the area. His family could not afford baseball equipment so he would make his own. He practiced by hitting bottle caps with sticks and making baseballs out of rags.  He was a clear athletic talent and began playing semi-pro baseball as a teenager. 

His journey to the major leagues began in 1952 with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. At just 18, Aaron left for Indiana, setting the stage for what would become an extraordinary career. His talent was undeniable, and the Boston Braves bought his contract after only 3 months. 

He spent the rest of 1952 and 1953 in the Braves minor league system. In 1952 he won rookie of the year with the Eau Claire Bears. This is also where he broke his habit of cross handed hitting. He was promoted the next year to the Jacksonville Braves where he won league MVP while leading his team to the league championship.  Aaron met his future wife, Barbara Lucas, while playing in Jacksonville. Barabara attended a Braves game the night they met. Hank had a great game where he singled, doubled, and hit a home run. On October 6, Aaron and Lucas were married.

Rise to Stardom

To start the 1954 season, Aaron was still a minor league player but he was invited to spring training with the major league team. His spring training performance was great and he made the major league roster for the Braves who had now moved from Boston to Milwaukee. April 1954 was a month of firsts for Aaron. April 13 he made his major league debut. 2 days later on april 15, he got his first career hit. And on April 23 1954 he hit his first of 755 career home runs. Aaron quickly developed a reputation as a hard hitter, earning the nickname of Hammerin’ Hank. Pitcher Curt Simmons said “Trying to sneak a fastball past Aaron is like trying to sneak sunrise past a rooster.”

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947. Robinson was Aaron's childhood hero. Aaron said. “Jackie Robinson was the one that paved the way for me. … I had an obligation to do the same thing — not only for him, but for every other Black ball player that ever thought about playing Major League Baseball.” 

It wasn't long before Aaron became a star himself. By 1957, he was pivotal in leading the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series Championship, earning him the National League MVP award. 

Personal Life

1957 had been a great year for Hank on the field winning the World Series and an MVP, however the end of 1957 was full of both joy and sorrow as Barbara gave birth to twins in December. Unfortunately one of the children died after only 2 days. Barbara and Hank would have 5 children together. 

Henry Aaron had been raised in the Baptist Church but he and his family converted to Catholicism in 1959. Later in life he returned to the Baptist Church and wrote in his autobiography that he was not a practicing Catholic for a very long time.

In 1971, Hank and Barbara divorced. Aaron would go on to marry television host Billye Suber Williams in 1973 adopting her daughter in the process.

Breaking Records 

His consistency was mind-blowing; Aaron hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, a testament to his durability and skill. He became known for his quiet excellence, often overshadowed by flashier contemporaries, yet his stats spoke volumes. The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. Solid, consistent, steady, these are words that described Henry Aaron. Hank Aaron recorded his 3000th hit on May 17, 1970. Reaching 3000 hits was a  testament to his consistency, but perhaps the defining moment of Aaron's career came in 1974 when he surpassed Babe Ruth's long-standing home run record. He downplayed the importance of the record but as Aaron approached 714 home runs, the pressure was immense. Not just from the sport's expectations but from the racial hatred he faced. Mail filled with death threats and racist slurs arrived daily, yet Aaron's composure and focus never wavered. At the end of the 1973 season, Aaron received a plaque from the U.S. Postal Service for receiving more mail than any person excluding politicians. Aaron would finish the 1973 season 1 home run shy of tying Babe Ruth. That offseason was stressful and Aaron honestly didn’t know if he would live to see the 1974 season. Well, the next season came and on April 4 he hit his first home run of the season tying the great Babe Ruth’s all time record of 714.

On April 8, 1974, at the age of 40, he hit his 715th home run, becoming the home run king. 1974 would be his last season with the Braves. Georgia congressman Andrew Young said “Through his long career, Hank Aaron has been a model of humility, dignity, and quiet competence. He did not seek the adoration that is accorded to other national athletic heroes, yet he has now earned it.”

He returned to Milwaukee in 1975 to play for the Brewers. The Brewers were an expansion team that had started as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. After only 1 year the team went bankrupt. Future Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig purchased the team, moved them to Milwaukee, and renamed them the Brewers. Hank Aaron would play for the Brewers in 1975 and 1976 before retiring with 755 home runs, a record he held for 33 years. After he 23rd and final season, Hank Aaron was the last player in Major League Baseball that had previously played in the Negro Leagues.  The record books will tell you that Barry Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron in 2007 on his way to 762 career home runs.  But in my book, Hank Aaron is the home run king.

Legacy and Impact

Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in, extra base hits, total bases, and in my opinion home runs. A lifetime .305 batting average, if you took away all of his home runs, he would still have over 3000 hits. A record 25 time all-star, Three time gold glove winner, and 1957 MVP. But Hank Aaron's legacy isn't just in his numbers but in how he carried himself through adversity. After retiring, Aaron continued to influence baseball through roles with the Atlanta Braves organization as Vice President and Director of Player Development. Aaron was one of the first African Americans to reach the upper level of executive management in Major League Baseball.  He and his wife were also very involved in charitable work. The Aaron’s established the Chasing the Dream Foundation which awards scholarships to members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. 

The Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the best offensive players in each league, keeps his name alive in the sport. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. Aaron was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 by President George W. Bush.

On January 5, 2021 Hank Aaron ,along with other African American public figures, received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine publicly at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. The event was supposed to demonstrate the safety of the vaccine and encourage other black Americans to do the same. Two weeks later, on January 22, 2021, Henry Aaron died in his sleep at the age of 86. The official cause of death was natural causes. He is survived by his wife Billye of 47 years, and 5 children.

Hammerin’ Hank Aaron’s legacy lives on. This year, the Atlanta Braves will celebrate Hank Aaron Week from July 30 to August 3. Hank Aaron week celebrates the life and legacy of Henry “Hank” Aaron and his lasting impact. 

Thank you friends for joining me on this journey through the life of one of baseball’s greatest players, Hammerin' Hank Aaron. Don’t forget to join our newsletter below and learn more about our new Course The Carolina Colony: Before the Founding. God bless you all and see you again next week.