Satchel Paige

Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was the most dominant pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues and one of the greatest athletes America has ever produced — yet he was barred from Major League Baseball until he was 42 years old. When he finally got his chance in 1948, signing with the Cleveland Indians, he helped lead them to the World Series and proved what everyone already knew: he could compete with anyone, at any age, at the highest level.

Born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1906, Paige earned his nickname as a boy carrying suitcases — "satchels" — at the local train station. He began pitching professionally in the Negro Leagues in 1926 and quickly became the biggest draw in Black baseball. His fastball was legendary — clocked at over 100 mph before radar guns existed — and his control was so precise he could throw strikes over a gum wrapper. He barnstormed across the country, drawing crowds larger than those at many major league games.

In 1971, Paige became the first player from the Negro Leagues to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame — a recognition that opened the door for dozens of other Negro League legends. His famous rules for staying young, including "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you," captured the wit and wisdom of a man who had spent a lifetime outrunning injustice.