For young African-Americans growing up in the 1960s and 1970s role models who weren’t family were usually athletes. Willie Mays was at the top of that list, not so much for how he played baseball, but for how he was respected and treated by others. People of all races looked past his skin color, cheered his exploits, and listened to what he had to say even though he had a soft voice.

Some criticized Mays, who died Tuesday at the age of 93, for not being more vocal during the Civil Rights Movement when other athletes became activists and took part in protests and calls for racial equality. That wasn’t his style, and he became an example to those who pursued social justice in their own manner. Through baseball, Mays brought Blacks and whites together to root for a common cause whether the Giants were at New York or San Francisco.

Baseball was called America’s pastime when he played. It was really its future: a game that eventually became a melting pot for talented players of all colors, nationalities, languages, and cultures.

Mays died as baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 1979 after 23 major league seasons with the Giants and one with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. The Rookie of the Year in 1951, his lifetime .301 batting average, included 660 home runs, and 3,293 hits. He scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves and was twice named the Most Valuable Player.

Nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid,” he will forever be known for the “The Catch” in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds. The then-New York Giants were tied two to two, with no outs with the Cleveland Indians. With runners on first and second, Cleveland’s Vic Wertz belted a ball deep to center field.

In a moment that will be remembered for generations, Mays raced toward the wall with his back to home plate and reached out his glove high and facing toward his back to make the astounding catch. Just as important was his throw to the infield, keeping the Indians from scoring. The Giants went on to win the game and sweep the series.

With the emergence of television and the popularity of radio, millions heard or watched “The Catch,” making Mays one of the first Black athletes to have mass appeal. He made appearances on popular television shows and sitcoms. He became the focus of memorable songs.

He died as baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 1979 after 23 major league seasons mostly with the New York/San Francisco Giants before ending his career with the New York Mets in 1972 and 1973. He also played one year with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. 

His legacy is so enduring that in 2017 the World Series Most Valuable Player award was named after him.

Today’s athletes, not just baseball players, stand on Mays’ mighty shoulders. Their contracts, the mass media stardom, their showmanship, and the value of a five-tool player began with Mays.

He touched those he met whether it was the youngsters with whom he played stickball in the streets of Harlem before going to the ballpark or the players he influenced during appearances at Old-Timers games. Baseball lost an icon on Tuesday. America lost a true hero.