Ex-Negro Leaguer Emilio Navarro Dies at 105
From The Associated Press on May 1:
Emilio “Millito” Navarro, believed to be the oldest living professional baseball player, died Saturday in his Caribbean homeland of Puerto Rico. He was 105.
The former Negro Leagues star died while surrounded by relatives, said a statement from his family.
Navarro was hospitalized Wednesday in the southern coastal city of Ponce after having a small heart attack.
Navarro was elected to the Puerto Rico Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Puerto Rican Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
The cheerful 5-foot-5 infielder was known for his baserunning skills and became the first Puerto Rican to play in the Negro Leagues.
“It is a tremendous loss, but they were 105 years of greatness,” said Eric Navarro Rivera, one of Navarro’s grandsons. “He gave his all to everybody.”
Navarro played in the Dominican Republic with the Escogido Lions in the late 1920s and in Venezuela with Magallanes and other teams in the 1930s.
Read the full article here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6457594
Originally published: May 1, 2011. Last Updated: May 1, 2011.