Roberto Clemente Dies in Plane Crash (1972)Right fielder Roberto Clemente played 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning the National League MVP award in 1966, as well as 12 Gold Glove Awards throughout his career. In 1973, he became the second Hispanic-American player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Clemente, who was dedicated to charity work, was traveling to Nicaragua to deliver aid to earthquake victims when his plane crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico. At the ceremony in 1973, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn honored him by creating the "Roberto Clemente Award", the highest award in baseball for sportsmanship and community activism. Kuhn spoke proudly about Clemente, "He was so very great a man, as a leader and humanitarian, so very great an inspiration to the young and to all in baseball, especially to the proud people of his homeland, Puerto Rico."
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