Willie Mays has not joined FLAPSS and has not endorsed it. This page is a reference record assembled from published interviews and public remarks. Every answer below is a direct quotation with the source and date shown next to it.
Baseball centre fielder; twice National League Most Valuable Player
United States · 1931–2024
Willie Mays was an American baseball centre fielder who played twenty-three major league seasons, mostly for the New York and San Francisco Giants. He was a twenty-four-time All-Star, twice National League Most Valuable Player, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
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I was the first black in that particular league. And, we played in a town called Hagerstown, Maryland. ... I said to myself — and this is why Piper Davis came in — in my mind, “Hey, whatever they call you, they can’t touch you. Don’t talk back.”
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 19 February 1996 source ↗
My father said to me, “You need a piece of paper to go into a door sometimes.” I didn’t understand about résumés, but when you write a résumé you have to put down things that people want to know about.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, 19 February 1996 source ↗
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