Yogi Berra

American athlete, a Hall-of-Fame baseball player, record-setting catcher, great clutch-hitter, and coach/manager known for "yogi-isms" such as "deja vue all over again," "If you come to a fork in the road, take it" and "It ain't over 'til it's over." Berra is one of the most endearing curmudgeons in 20th century sports. His career spanned nearly 20 years, playing from 1946-1963 for the New York Yankees. Berra played in All-Star games from 1948-62 and captured the Most Valuable Player Award in 1951, 1954 and 1955. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1972. At 5'8" Berra is squat, with a swarthy complexion and a ready smile. His young friends bestowed the nickname "Yogi" on him, commemorating his awkwardly funny manner. Casey Stengel, manager of the New York Yankees when Berra was a player, said of him, "He looks cumbersome but he's quick as a cat." Berra joined the New York Yankees' farm team in the early 1940s but reported for military duty in 1944. After his discharge in 1946 he returned to the Yankees. Making his major league debut on September 22, 1946, he launched a not-to-be-forgotten career of World Series championships, All-Star games, and record-breaking plays and hits. A left-handed hitter, he batted over .300 three times, hit 20 or more home runs nine times, and had 30 or more home runs twice. During his 18-season career with the Yankees, he played in 14 World Series, 10 of them on the winning team. In so doing, he set records for games played, times at bat and hits. In 1964, after he retired from the Yankees, he became a manager for the team. Although the team won a pennant, they lost the World Series championship and Berra was replaced. He then was signed to be a coach for the New York Mets in 1965, becoming manager in 1972. In 1973, after the Mets won the National League pennant, Berra became only the third manager in history to win pennants in both leagues. After he was fired in 1975 because of a front-office dispute, Berra returned to coach the Yankees. In 1985, fired by George Steinbrenner, Berra refused to return to Yankee Stadium but finally in January 1999, he accepted a public apology. Berra has been married to his wife Carmen for over 50 years; the couple has three sons, all athletes. Berra died on 22 September 2015 from natural causes at an assisted living facility in West Caldwell, New Jersey. He was 90. Link to Wikipedia biography