Rickey Henderson, Baseball Hall of Famer and ‘Man of Steal,’ Dies at 65

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Oakland Athletics star Rickey Henderson has died. He was 65.

The 1990 American League MVP died of pneumonia on Friday, Dec. 20, in the Oakland, Calif., according to reports from the New York Post and NBC News Bay Area. He would have turned 66 on Christmas Day,

Henderson’s once-teammate Dave Winfield shared his condolences and reflected on the star player’s time in the MLB, writing in a Dec. 21 Instagram post: “I still cannot believe I’ve lost one of my favorite teammates and great friend Rickey Henderson. Rest in peace.”

Born in Chicago and raised in Oakland, Henderson began his career star athlete at Oakland Technical High, playing both baseball and football during his run, per local newspaper the Mercury News. His mother Bobbie later persuaded him to focus on baseball because she didn’t want him to be injuring playing football.

“I guess Mom do knows best,” Henderson joked during his induction speech into the Hall of Fame in 2009, per the Mercury and NBC. “Thanks, Mom.”

He was first drafted into the MLB by the Athletics in the fourth round of the 1976 draft, making his debut at age 20 on June 24, 1979, when the team took on the Texas Rangers. Although the A’s lost the game, Henderson quickly became known for his stolen bases and runs, setting records throughout the course of his career and earning the title “Man of Steal” for his records.

Henderson played for the A’s four separate times over the course of his career for 14 total seasons, and also had stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003, the Boston Red Sox in 2022, the San Diego Padres for three seasons from 1996 to 1997 and in 2001, the Seattle Mariners in 2000, the New York Mets for two seasons in 1999 and 2000, the Anaheim Angels in 1997, the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993 (where he took home his second World Series win) and the New York Yankees for five seasons from 1985 to 1989.

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During his second stint in Oakland, Henderson broke Lou Brock’s all-time stolen base record when he swiped his 939th base against the Yankees in 1991. The moment after he stole the record-breaking base would become one of the most iconic moments in baseball, as Henderson yanked the third base marker out of the ground and held it in the air as he gave a speech to the crowd.

“Lou Brock was the symbol of great base stealing,” he famously said, per the MLB. “But today, I am the greatest of all time.”

Over his 24 seasons in the MLB, he stole 1,406 bases, scored 2,295 runs, had 81 leadoff home runs and was a 10-time All-Star, according to the The Guardian.

“My favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,” Henderson said during his induction speech in Cooperstown, N.Y.. “He said one time, quote, ‘I am the greatest,’ end of quote. That was something I always wanted to be, and now that the [Baseball Writers’ Association of America] has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time, and at this moment, I am very, very humbled.”