Rickey Henderson, athletics icon and Hall of Famer, dies at 65 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Rickey Henderson, one of the greatest players in the history of the athletics franchise and a 2009 nominee for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, died Friday at the age of 65, NBC Sports California confirmed.
MLB’s all-time leader in stolen bases would have turned 66 on Christmas Day.
Henderson played 25 MLB seasons with the Athletics, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Oakland Tech alum was selected by the Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB Draft, and three years later he made his big league debut with Oakland.
It didn’t take long for Henderson to establish himself as one of the MLB’s best players. In 1980, his first full season, he earned an AL All-Star selection and finished 10th in the MVP voting.
Henderson’s first stint in college ended in 1984 when they traded him to the Yankees. After five seasons in New York, he was sent back to Oakland before the 1989 season. That year he helped Oakland beat the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.
During his second tour of duty in Oakland, Henderson broke Lou Brock’s all-time stolen base record by hitting his 939th base against the Yankees on May 1, 1991. That produced one of the most iconic moments in baseball history when Henderson took third base. bag from the ground and held it above his head.
Henderson gave a speech to a packed Oakland Coliseum and called himself the “greatest of all time.”
The Athletics traded Henderson again in 1993, this time to the Blue Jays on July 31, and a few months later he won his second World Series title.
Henderson finished his MLB career with 1,406 stolen bases, which still stands as a benchmark to this day.
Arguably the greatest leadoff in MLB history, Henderson holds the MLB record for most runs scored with 2,295. He also finished with 297 home runs and 1,115 RBI.
Henderson was selected to 10 MLB All-Star Games, won the 1990 AL MVP, earned three Silver Slugger Awards and won one Gold Glove.
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame inducted Henderson in 2020.
Henderson’s legacy in Oakland was cemented in 2017 when the Athletics renamed the field at the Coliseum “Rickey Henderson Field.” A logo remained on the field until the final match at the Colosseum in September.
The Athletics honored Henderson this past season by giving bobbleheads to fans who attended their September 20th. Before the game, Henderson’s daughter Adrianna threw the ceremonial first pitch to her father.
Henderson’s influence on current athletics continued in recent years, as he provided advice to Lawrence Butler and Estuery Ruiz.
Henderson left a mark on baseball and the city of Oakland that will not soon be forgotten.
The ‘Man of Steal’, stolen too soon from the baseball world.
