Glenn Burke
| Glenn Burke | |
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| Outfielder | |
| Born: November 16, 1952 Oakland , United States 
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| Died on: May 30th, 1995 San Leandro , United States
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| Suggested: Right | Threw: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| April 9, 1976 with the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| June 4, 1979 with the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Batting average | , 237 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs Batted In | 38 |
| Teams | |
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Glenn Lawrence Burke (born November 16, 1952 in Oakland , California , † May 30, 1995 in San Leandro , California) was an American baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB).
life and career
Burke played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979. Burke was the first Major League Baseball player who towards his teammates and owners be the teams during his athletic career coming out had. Burke was named Northern California High School Basketball Player of the Year in 1970.
Burke is forever remembered in sports, as he invented the athletic gesture of the high five , which caught on internationally in sporting events. In 1977 he left the field to congratulate his teammate Dusty Baker of the Los Angeles Dodgers on his home run in the last game of the regular game. Months later, Baker returned the high five gesture when Burke hit the first home run .
As a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, Burke had 523 at-bats in four gaming seasons. Burke's time with the Los Angeles Dodgers was tainted by a conflict with the manager Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers . At the age of 27, Burke ended his professional sports career after a knee injury. In the following years Burke was still active in sports. At the Gay Games 1982 he won medals in the 100 and 220 meter sprints. At the Gay Games in 1986 he was a team member on the basketball team.
In 1982, an article appeared in Inside Sports magazine covering Burke's homosexuality. Burke's sexual identity became public knowledge nationwide. In 1987, Burke was injured in a car crash in San Francisco that damaged his leg and foot.
Burke died of AIDS in 1995 at the age of 42 .
Quotes from Burke
- They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it.
- My mission as a gay ballplayer was to break a stereotype… I think it worked. Glenn Burke in People, November 1994
literature
- Glenn Burke, Erik Sherman: Out at Home: The Glenn Burke Story. Excel Pub, 1995, ISBN 978-0-964-81580-3 .
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Glenn Burke in the database of Find a Grave (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sarah Kaplan: The trials of baseball's first openly gay player, Glenn Burke, four decades ago. Washington Post, August 17, 2015, accessed January 25, 2016 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Burke, Glenn |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Burke, Glenn Lawrence (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 16, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oakland , California |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 30, 1995 |
| Place of death | San Leandro , California |