Iconic Athlete #5: Yogi Berra

Some think of him as one of the greatest catchers of all time. Others think of him as an inspirational coach and savvy manager who was able to lead both of New York's baseball teams to the World Series. A man of many talents both on and off the field, Yogi Berra's stamp on the game is indelible. This is the story of one of the sport's true icons.

A Colorful Character

Lawrence Peter Berra was born in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri. He got the nickname "Yogi" from a pal who thought he looked like a Hindu snake charmer. The son of Italian immigrants, Berra was raised in a working-class section of the city known as "The Hill," which was populated at that time by Italian Americans who earned their living in the nearby clay mines. As a child, Berra was friends with Joe Garagiola, another local boy and future baseball great. A popular youngster, early in life Berra was well-known for using malapropisms, hilariously butchering the English language and making up nonsense quotes. Some of his later, widely-quoted "Yogi-isms" include, "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore," "We made too many wrong mistakes" and the slogan he made famous while coaching the Mets: "It ain't over til it's over."

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An Early Career Cut Short By War

Berra dropped out of high school to help his family pay the bills, but baseball remained a keen interest throughout his teens. In 1942, along with childhood chum Garagiola, Berra tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals. Both players asked for $500 and got offers from the team's manager (though Berra's offer was for $250, half of what Garagiola received). Insulted, Berra turned down the Cards and instead signed with the Yankees for the golden number he was seeking. He then did a stint in the minors with the Norfolk Tars.
 
Despite his joy for playing the game he loved, Berra's love for his country overrode his love of baseball. At 18, Berra put his career on hold, enlisted in the Navy and served during WWII. Sent to the European front, he was part of the infamous D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach in Normandy. That pivotal battle signaled the beginning of the war's end in 1944, and soon Yogi Berra would come marching home.

Back To The Game

Berra returned to the Yankees' organization, and played a few games with a squad in Connecticut before joining the International League's Newark Bears. In 1946, Berra played his first game for the Yankees and hit a home run against the Philadelphia Athletics. Over the course of the next decade, Berra would hit at least 20 home runs per season. In 1951, he won his first MVP Award with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. Berra's career-high the following year was 30 home runs, a number he tied again in 1956. He played his last game with the Yankees in 1963.

Managing The Team

After retiring from the game, Berra was hired to manage the Yankees. Despite leading the club to an American League pennant, he was fired after one season when the Yankees lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals.
 
Briefly down but hardly out, Berra was hired as a player-coach for the New York Mets. He was named manager in 1972 after the death of prior manager Gil Hodges. The team was in its all-too-familiar last-place slot when Berra led them to a National League pennant. Berra lasted with the Mets just a few short years and was fired in 1975.
 
Berra returned to the Yankees the following year as a coach. The Yanks won the World Series in consecutive seasons and Berra was made manager shortly before the 1984 season. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner fired Berra after just 16 games, but chose not to deliver the news in person. There was no love lost between the two men. Berra, insulted, refused to set foot in Yankee Stadium until the two made amends 14 years later. During his hiatus from New York, Berra was signed by the Houston Astros as a bench coach, where he stayed until his retirement in 1992.

It Ain't Over...

In retirement, Berra has appeared in many television commercials and has tried his hand as a bowling alley owner, along with Phil Rizzuto (another Yankees veteran). He also helped establish the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center in Montclair, New Jersey, It was opened by Montclair State University, from which he received an honorary degree in 1996.

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Corey Whelan is a freelance writer in New York. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.