Elston Howard

Elston Gene Howard, who lived from February 23, 1929 to December 14, 1980, was an American professional baseball player who worked as a catcher and left fielder. His 14-year career ran from 1948 through 1968 across the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball, mostly with the New York Yankees, and he also played for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Boston Red Sox. He was a 12-time All-Star and served on the Yankees coaching staff from 1969 to 1979. In 1955 he became the first African American player on the Yankees roster, eight years after Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier. In 1963 he was named the American League Most Valuable Player, the first black player to win that honor in the league. He won Gold Glove Awards in 1963 and 1964, and his lifetime fielding percentage of .993 as a catcher was a major league record from 1967 to 1973.