Roy Campanella Shows His Sons The Tools Of The Trade

Dodgers Have A Family Act
Miami, Fla – If the boys turn out to be chips off the old block, the Dodgers will be all set in the catching department, if, and when, catcher Roy Campanella hangs up his mask and gloves. Here is Campanella with his sons, David, 7, and Roy, Jr., 2, as he puts them through their paces at Miami Stadium. The Dodgers won their first game yesterday in the Grapefruit League by shading the Boston Braves, 10-9 in an error-spangled game. photo: Herb Scharfman International News,  March 12 1951

Roy Campanella, because of the color barrier with an Italian father and Black mother, did not enter the major leagues until 1948 when he was 26. He played 10 sterling seasons, all for the Dodgers, and would win three Most Valuable Player Awards. Baseball legend Ty Cobb was impressed enough to say “Campanella will be remembered longer than any catcher in baseball history.”

Campanella’s career came to a tragic end at the age of 36 on January 28, 1958, when his automobile hit a icy patch while driving home to Glen Cove, NY and slid into a telephone pole leaving him paralyzed. Roy Campanella died of a heart attack June 26, 1993 at the age of 71 in Woodland Hills, CA.

As far as our photograph goes, the Campanella boys were merely participating in a typical publicity photograph.

David Campanella was a step-son from Roy Campanella’s second marriage to wife Ruth.

Roy Jr., would eventually be joined by four other siblings; Tony and John and two sisters Joanie and Ruth.

None would play professional sports. David was in a doo-wop singing group for a while but later had problems with the law and drugs. He passed away at the age of 41. Roy Jr. would go onto to a career as a successful television director and producer.