MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson has died at the age of 65, according to reports.
Henderson, who remains baseball’s all-time stolen bases leader, is widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter in the sport’s history.
The New York Post has confirmed the tragic news of his passing on Saturday.
The Oakland native came to baseball late after flourishing as a football player in high school, where he became an All-American running back with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Yet despite receiving a dozen scholarship offers to play football, and having a desire to play for the then-Oakland Raiders, Henderson turned them down after his mother argued that NFL players have shorter careers than other athletes.
He therefore ventured into baseball and was drafted in the fourth round of the 1976 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, whom he went on to play for on four separate occasions.
More to follow.
MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson has died at the age of 65, according to reports
