Paterson native Larry Doby posthumously awarded Congressional Gold Medal
WASHINGTON -- Paterson, New Jersey, native Larry Doby Sr., the first Black man to play in the American League, was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday.
Larry Doby Jr. was at the U.S. Capitol to accept the award on behalf of his father on what would have been his 100th birthday.
The medal is the highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Doby joined the Cleveland Indians three months after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, but he was honored for more than that accomplishment.
"He's normally recognized only for what he did on the field, but this kind of says he was a pretty good guy off the field and he helped advance his country, and he would be extremely proud and humbled by this honor. This means the world to my family," Larry Doby Jr. said.
Doby joins Robinson and Roberto Clemente as the only baseball players to receive the award.
For more on Doby's life and impact on society, watch our Emmy-nominated special "Larry Doby: Second to None."
