Roberto Clemente: A Hero Beyond the Baseball Diamond - The Legend Lives On

"I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give."

--Roberto Clemente

Roberto’s legacy lives on in many ways. In Puerto Rico he is revered as a national hero. He was not just a sports legend, he personally affected millions of lives of people by his open opposition of prejudice and his compassion for others. He set an example of excellence and caring, and ultimately sacrificed his own life in an attempt to help others.

In the city of Pittsburgh, more than four decades later, people still remember him. In 1996, his son, Roberto Clemente Jr., reached out to the inner city children of Pittsburgh to save them from the violence and degradation of poverty by establishing a center for baseball and other sports as well as the performing arts. He recruited 150 youths for an inner-city baseball league. His father’s influence lives on in the lives of these children.

On the outskirts of San Juan, Puerto Rico, near Roberto’s hometown of Carolina, 600 acres of land has been dedicated as Roberto Clemente Park. It contains the sports city that had been Roberto’s dream. His memory will live forever. In death, as in life, Roberto Clemente is a true hero.