By Nicholas Ibarra | OBSERVER Staff Writer
The Athletics’ inaugural season in West Sacramento is being dedicated to the late Rickey Henderson as a tribute to his impact on the evolution of the A’s organization and the game of baseball.
Henderson died Dec. 20 at age 65 from complications with pneumonia and asthma. His loss is felt not only by the A’s community but the baseball community around the world.
“I can’t explain what someone who was present in every memory, childhood to today, means to me or what it means to cope with having no more tomorrows alongside him,” said Dave Stewart, Henderson’s lifelong friend, teammate during the 1989 championship season and now an A’s special assistant in player development. “Rickey Henderson was the best ballplayer many know, but that is nothing in comparison to the brother he is to me.”
| Rickey Henderson File – 10-time all-star – 1990 American League MVP – MLB single-season steals record (130 in 1982) – World Series champion in 1989 and 1993 – MLB career leader in steals (1,406), runs (2,295) and leadoff home runs (81) – Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 |
Henderson is widely considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His legacy was made eternal when he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 in his first year of eligibility. The A’s renamed the Oakland Coliseum playing surface Rickey Henderson Field on Opening Day in 2017.
Born Dec. 25, 1958, in Chicago, Henderson and his family moved to Oakland when he was 2. Growing up in the 1960s and ’70s, the Oakland baseball scene had a heavy influence on Henderson’s passion for the game and how he played it. He looked up to players such as Vida Blue, Reggie Jackson and Joe Morgan, and watching these stars helped shape his work ethic, confidence, swagger, speed and baseball IQ.
He attended Oakland Technical High School and excelled as a three-sport star, playing football, basketball and baseball. Football was his best sport, but in the midst of being scouted as a running back, he had a conversation with a teacher who convinced him to focus on baseball. That led Henderson to sign with the Oakland A’s after being drafted in the fourth round in 1976.
Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in steals (1,406), runs (2,295) and leadoff home runs (81) played four stints for the A’s between 1979 and 1998, setting records, showcasing elite speed and power, and making key contributions to their championship success. Henderson led the A’s to a World Series title in 1989, an American League pennant in 1990, four AL West titles from 1989-1992, and was AL MVP in 1990.
His swagger and confidence followed him off the field as well. He often referred to himself in the third person, with famous quotes like: “Everybody always talks about John 3:16. Well, Rickey hit .320”; “Rickey don’t like it when Rickey can’t find Rickey’s limo”; or “This is Rickey calling on behalf of Rickey.”
He is the A’s franchise leader in runs (1,270), walks (1,227) and steals (867) and holds the Oakland records for games (1,704), at-bats (6,140), hits (1,768), doubles (289), triples (41), total bases (2,640) and on-base percentage (.409).
Following his playing career, Henderson served as a roving on-field instructor for the A’s and, starting in 2018, special assistant to the president, promoting the Oakland Athletics brand.