Hall of Famer and Dodgers great Roy Campanella would've been 93 years old today

Ninety-three years ago today, Jon and Ida Campanella welcomed one of the greatest catchers of all time into the world. Their son, Roy Campanella, was born on November 19, 1921.

"Campy" was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he attended the same high school later known for producing NBA star and technical foul record-holder Rasheed Wallace.

After hitting the cover off the ball and honing his skills behind the plate for several years in the Negro Leagues, the Brooklyn Dodgers finally offered Campanella a shot in Major League Baseball. He played ball for the Nashua Dodgers of the Class B New England League while Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. The following season, the two were teammates in the bigs.

Campanella received MVP votes in seven of his 10 MLB seasons, taking home the award in 1951, '53 and '55. An eight-time All-Star, Campanella caught three no-hitters, accumulated a .276 lifetime average and had 34.2 WAR to his name when a tragic car accident ended his career and left him paralyzed before he could ever play a game at the team's new home in Los Angeles.

In 1959, the Yankees and Dodgers played an exhibition game to raise money for the medical expenses accrued following Campanella's accident. The Los Angeles Colliseum was packed as 93,000 fans turned out to help with the worthy cause.

The Dodgers won the World Series in 1955 on the back of Campanella's five extra-base hits. In 1969 he became the second African-American player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (after Jackie Robinson, of course). The Dodgers retired his No. 39 three years later.

Campanella died in 1993 at the age of 71.