"The exceptionally athletic Monte Irvin (1919-2016) was an outfielder who started in the Negro leagues and eventually became one of the earliest black Major League Baseball players after joining the New York Giants in 1949. He played in two World Series with the Giants and after retiring worked as a baseball scout and served in an administrative role in the MLB commissioner's office. A mentor to Willie Mays, Irvin helped pave the way for other black players in the major leagues despite encountering racism on and off the field, and he was honored greatly later in life for his achievements"--
