Oakland Athletics baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson died Friday at age 65, the team and family said on Saturday.
Henderson holds the record for most career stolen bases and is regarded as one the best leadoff hitters in Major League Baseball history. His death comes days before his birthday on Christmas Day.
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“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of my husband, Rickey Henderson. A legend on and off the field, Rickey was a devoted son, dad, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle, and a truly humble soul,” Henderson’s wife, Pamela, and his daughters said in a statement Saturday afternoon.”Rickey lived his life with integrity, and his love for baseball was paramount. Now, Rickey is at peace with the Lord, cherishing the extraordinary moments and achievements he leaves behind.”
Henderson, who grew up in Oakland, was a first baseman for the A’s in the 1980s and 1990s. Henderson had turned down multiple football scholarships to sign with the Athletics in 1976.
In his first major league season in 1980, Henderson broke Hall of Famer Ty Cobb’s 65-year-old American League stolen base record of 96 with 100 swipes. During the 1982 season, he stole 130 bases, breaking Lou Brock’s major league single-season record of 118.
Henderson’s family originally came from Arkansas, like many African American families during the Second Great Migration from 1940 to 1970, and moved westward, landing them in West Oakland.
Throughout his 25-year career, he played for nine teams: the Oakland A’s, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, and the Toronto Blue Jays. He led the American League in stolen bases 12 times and became the all-time record holder with 1,406 steals, which is how he earned the nickname the “man of steal.”
“Rickey Henderson is one of the greatest baseball players of all time,” the A’s said in a statement via their social media pages. “His on-field accomplishments speak for themselves, and his records will forever stand atop baseball history. He was undoubtedly the most legendary player in Oakland history and made an indelible mark on generations of A’s fans over his 14 seasons wearing the Green and Gold.”
Henderson set all-time records for runs scored, with 2,295, and unintentional walks, totaling 2,129. The 10-time All-Star won the American League MVP Award in 1990, leading the MLB in runs scored, stolen bases, and on-base percentage.
He also finished in the top 10 of MVP voting five additional times.
Additionally, Henderson won two World Series championships during his career—one in 1989 with Oakland and another in 1993 with Toronto. He spent most of his career playing left field and earned the Gold Glove Award in 1981. Throughout his time in the league, he finished with a .279 batting average, accumulating 3,055 hits and 297 home runs.
Henderson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.
The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame also inducted Henderson in 2020.
“For those who knew him personally, Rickey was much more than a franchise icon and a Baseball Hall of Famer. He was a friend and mentor to every player, coach, and employee who passed through the Oakland Coliseum or played a game on the field that came to bear his name,” read the A’s statement.
In September, Henderson and fellow legend Dave Stewart threw out the first pitch when the A’s played their last game at the Oakland Coliseum.
“I can’t be sad,” he said to the San Francisco Chronicle at the time. “I have too much money, and I did too much here, all these great things here. I’m more happy than sad. Maybe later it will hit you when it’s all said and done. But, honestly, today I’m going to have fun.”
Following that game, Henderson told The Chronicle he believes MLB will never make its way back to the city.
“They ain’t going to bring one. Basically, baseball won’t get one here ever again, I’m telling you, I talked to the commissioner. He said all along they won’t come out here. I don’t care who buys the team or whatever happens,” Henderson told The Chronicle. “We just messed up. We did a whole lot of damage. What can you say?”
The A’s had named their diamond Rickey Henderson Field in honor of the beloved baseball great.
