Aaron, Henry Louis

Aaron, Henry Louis (Hank Aaron), 1934–, U.S. baseball player, b. Mobile, Ala. A durable outfielder noted for his powerful wrists, Aaron was among the first blacks to play a full career in the major leagues (1954–76). In 1974 he broke Babe Ruth's legendary lifetime mark of 714 home runs. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, Aaron is baseball's career leader in runs batted in (2,297), and extra-base hits (1,477), and is second all-time in homeruns (755). In 1976 he became one of the first black executives in the game, beginning a long tenure in the Atlanta Braves front office.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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