Sports history in Black: Setting a record stealing bases

Maury Wills grew up in the Washington, D.C., area playing football, basketball and baseball. He was good in every sport but decided he wanted to play professional baseball. It took Wills a while to get to the major leagues with the Dodgers. And when he did, he did his thing.

Photographic portrait of the baseball player Maury Wills, ca.1960. Photo credit: Maury Wills, University of Southern California Libraries and California Historical Society
Photographic portrait of the baseball player Maury Wills, ca.1960. Photo credit: Maury Wills, University of Southern California Libraries and California Historical Society

He was a master of stealing bases and was one of the players that revived the art. On Sept. 23, 1962, he made even more history by stealing bases and causing havoc on the basepaths. The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop broke Ty Cobb’s 1915 steals record by stealing his 97th base. Wills would go on to steal 104 bases for that season.

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