Pirates Legend Placed on Pittsburgh Walk of Fame

History of the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame

Shady Ave magazine publisher Nancy Polinsky Johnson is the founder of The Pittsburgh Walk of Fame, with the idea coming 10 years ago, seeing a similar one in St. Louis, Mo.

Johnson suggested to Dan McCaffrey, the developer of The Terminal, the idea of a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame, making use of the new development with the concrete now a spot for locals and tourists to come by and enjoy, according to Virginia Linn of Pittsburgh Magazine.

The criteria for someone joining the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame is that they were either born, spent their formative years in the area or did their most important work. The area isn't just the city limits of Pitsburgh, but rather the metropolitan area, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

10 new inductees will join the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame every year, with their being input from both the public and the community and then coming down to decisions from the board of directors, who will make the final say.

Why Did Roberto Clemente Make the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame?

Clemente didn't come to Pittsburgh until 1955 when he was 20 years old, after spending most of his time in his native town of Carolina, Puerto Rico.

The Pirates landed Clemente in the Rule 5 Draft on Nov. 22, 1954, which started his illustrious career with the franchise.

Clemente excelled for the Pirates for 18 seasons from 1955-72. He finished with a slash line of .317/.359/.475 and an OPS of .834, while amassing 3,000 hits, 440 doubles, 166 triples, 240 home runs, 1,305 RBIs and 621 walks in 2,433 games.

He would win the National League MVP in 1966, hitting .317/.360/.536 for an OPS of .896, while getting 202 hits, 31 doubles, 11 triples, 29 home runs and 46 walks.

Clemente finished with 15 All-Star nods, won 12 consecutive NL Gold Glove Awards from 1961-72, won the NL Batting Title four times in 1961, 1964. 1965 and 1967.

He also won two World Series with the Pirates in 1960, defeating the New York Yankees in seven games with fellow Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski hitting the walk-off home run at Forbes Field, and beating the Baltimore Orioles in seven games in 1971.

Clemente won World Series MVP in 1971, hitting .414 with 12 hits in 29 at-bats and also hit the decisive solo home run in the 2-1 win in Game 7 in Baltimore.

While being a great baseball player would likely earn any player a spot on the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame, Clemente made his name known off the field as well.

The Puerto Rican was known for his humanitarian work across the Caribbean and Latin America, which cost him his life, as he died in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972. He had chartered the plane to bring emergency goods for the people of Nicaragua, who just endured a massive earthquake.

Clemente would earn special induction into the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Caribbean player to do so and second player from Latin America.

He now has an MLB award in his name, the Roberto Clemente Award, which honors the player that, "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."

Clemente's sons, Roberto Clemente Jr. and Luis Clemente, showed up to the ceremony and spoke on their father's legacy with the Pirates and his work to make the world a better place.

Who Else Made the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame?

The other nine members of the inaugural Pittsburgh Walk of Fame were varied from creatives, to musicians and more, but Clemente was the only athlete that made the list.

This included, from date of birth onward, steel baron and later philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, world traveler and journalist Nellie Bly, famed environmentalist Rachel Carson, Polio vaccine founder Dr. Jonas Salk, popular children television show host Fred Rogers, pop artist Andy Warhol, jazz musician George Benson, playwright August Wilson and actor Michael Keaton.

How Else Have the Pirates and Pittsburgh Honored Roberto Clemente?

The city named the Sixth Street Bridge the Roberto Clemente Bridge on Aug. 6, 1998, which connects Downtown to the North Shore over the Allegheny River. The bridge leads right to PNC Park on the North Shore, which the Pirates started play in 2001.

The Pirates honor Clemente throughout PNC Park, including a statue of him near the center field gate, which is just off the Roberto Clemente Bridge. 

They also have the right field wall, which measures 21 feet high in honor of his jersey number, a Clemente 21 jersey emblem on the wall, that the Pirates controversially replaced with an advertisement before putting back up, plus his 3000th hit marker, which stands on the North Shore at where home plate was at Three Rivers Stadium.