Rickey Henderson was born on December 25, 1958, in the back seat of an Oldsmobile while his mother was en route to the hospital in Chicago, leading him to humorously remark, “I was already fast. I couldn’t wait.”After relocating to Oakland as a child, Henderson emerged as a multi-sport talent in baseball, basketball, track, and football.
He opted to pursue baseball over multiple football scholarships and signed with the Oakland Athletics after being drafted in the fourth round in 1976.Henderson made his MLB debut three years later and broke Ty Cobb’s American League stolen base record with 100 steals in his first full season.
He followed that achievement with 130 steals two years later, surpassing Lou Brock’s previous record of 118.He spent his first six MLB seasons with the Athletics before being traded to the New York Yankees.
Henderson returned to Oakland in a June 1989 trade that helped propel the A’s to a World Series title that year. After the trade, he stole 52 bases, hit nine home runs, and drove in 35 runs over 85 regular-season games.In the playoffs, he excelled with a .441 batting average, three home runs, eight RBIs, and 11 stolen bases, earning ALCS MVP honors on his way to winning his first World Series championship.
Henderson’s outstanding performance in the 1989 postseason carried over into the 1990 regular season, where he was named the American League MVP after batting .325 with 65 stolen bases, 28 home runs, 119 runs scored, and 61 RBIs.In July 1993, Henderson left Oakland for a second time when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Unlike his previous stint, he struggled in Toronto, hitting just .215 in 44 regular-season games while dealing with a broken bone in his hand. His postseason performance was also disappointing, as he batted .170 in 12 games, contributing two RBIs and three stolen bases. However, he did score 10 runs that October, including one after reaching base for Joe Carter’s World Series-winning home run in Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
After his time in Toronto, Henderson frequently changed teams for the remainder of his career, including two more tenures with Oakland. He also played for the San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and concluded his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003.Following his stint with the Dodgers, Henderson spent several years playing independent baseball before finally retiring.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2009 class.During his remarks after breaking Brock’s all-time stolen base record, Henderson referenced his famous “I’m the greatest of all time” declaration.
On stage in Cooperstown, he expressed that Muhammad Ali was his childhood hero for using a similar phrase during his boxing career.”That is something I always wanted to be,” Henderson stated. “And now that the Association has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete.”I am now among the greatest players of all time. At this moment, I feel very, very humble.
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