1970 - 1979
In 1971, the newly formed Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues elected Satchel Paige as its first Hall of Famer, opening the door for many Negro Leagues stars who were not able to participate in the big leagues during their prime. The BBWAA did not elect a candidate in 1971, but the following years featured electees like Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Warren Spahn, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. Ralph Kiner was elected in his 13th-and-final try on the BBWAA ballot in 1975, and the legendary Willie Mays was elected in 1979. Roberto Clemente was elected by special election in 1973 following his death in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972.
1970
1970 Induction Class
BBWAA inductee Lou Boudreau was enshrined with three Veterans Committee selections on July 27, 1970 in front of fans that included a contingent of more than 100, which called itself Boudreau’s buddies. The Veterans Committee picks were Earle Combs, Jesse Haines and former commissioner Ford Frick. The J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing went to Sid Mercer, formerly of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, New York Evening Globe, and New York Evening Journal.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Luke Appling, Lou Boudreau, Roy Campanella, Max Carey, Earle Combs, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Bob Feller, Ford Frick, Frankie Frisch, Lefty Grove, Jesse Haines, Waite Hoyt, Ted Lyons, Sam Rice, Edd Roush, Red Ruffing, Casey Stengel, Bill Terry, Lloyd Waner, Zack Wheat
1971
1971 Induction Class
Four inductees were present at the August 9, 1971 induction ceremony: Satchel Paige, Chick Hafey, Harry Hooper and Rube Marquard. Of the other new members, Dave Bancroft and George Weiss were in poor health, and the Hall of Fame enshrined Jacob Beckley and Joe Kelley posthumously. The Veterans Committee or Negro Leagues Committee inducted all eight new members, as the BBWAA failed to elect anyone. Paige, listed as 65 years old, quipped, “people thought when I broke in with Cleveland in 1949 I was 65 then, and when Bill Veeck got me I was even too old to vote. They got my age mixed up in Cleveland and never did straighten it out.” Heywood Broun, who wrote for numerous New York publications and founded the American Newspaper Guild, was honored with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Roy Campanella, Earle Combs, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bob Feller, Ford Frick, Frankie Frisch, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Grove, Chick Hafey, Jessie Haines, Harry Hooper, Waite Hoyt, Rube Marquard, Joe Medwick, Satchel Paige, Sam Rice, Edd Roush, Red Ruffing, Casey Stengel, Bill Terry, Pie Traynor, Lloyd Waner, Zack Wheat
1972
1972 Induction Class
The Hall of Fame’s membership grew by eight on August 7, 1972, as BBWAA selections Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra and Early Wynn were inducted. The Veterans Committee elected Lefty Gomez, Ross Youngs and former American League president Will Harridge and the Negro Leagues Committee picked Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson. Harridge, Gibson and Youngs were inducted posthumously. The J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing was accepted by Mrs. Frank Graham on behalf of her late husband, a former writer for the New York Sun and author of numerous baseball biographies.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Luke Appling, Yogi Berra, Lou Boudreau, Roy Campanella, Earle Combs, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Bob Feller, Ford Frick, Frankie Frisch, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Gomez, Lefty Grove, Chick Hafey, Jessie Haines, Harry Hooper, Waite Hoyt, Sandy Koufax, Buck Leonard, Rube Marquard, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Sam Rice, Casey Stengel, Lloyd Waner, Early Wynn
1973
1973 Induction Class
The Hall of Fame waived the five year waiting period for induction, as Roberto Clemente was posthumously enshrined after dying in a plane crash in the off-season while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The BBWAA also inducted Warren Spahn, while the Veterans Committee elected George Kelly, Mickey Welch and former American League executive Billy Evans. The final inductee was Monte Irvin, selected by the Negro Leagues Committee. Hall of Famers in attendance included Casey Stengel, Stan Musial, Hank Greenberg and Bob Feller. Mrs. Lou Gehrig was in attendance and said she had thought of Clemente’s wife, Vera Clemente, frequently after Roberto’s death. Three writers were honored with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award: J. Roy Stockton of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dan Daniel of The Sporting News and Fred Lieb, who wrote for numerous New York newspapers.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Luke Appling, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bob Feller, Ford Frick, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Lefty Grove, Jessie Haines, Harry Hooper, Waite Hoyt, Monte Irvin, George Kelly, Buck Leonard, Ted Lyons, Rube Marquard, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Satchel Paige, Sam Rice, Red Ruffing, Warren Spahn, Casey Stengel, Bill Terry
1974
1974 Induction Class
Before a then-record crowd of 2,500 fans and 21 previously inducted Hall of Famers, Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle were elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Enshrined at the August 12, 1974 induction along with the former Yankee teammates were Cool Papa Bell, Jocko Conlan, Jim Bottomley and Sam Thompson. There were three recipients of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing: former New York Times writer John Kieran, Warren Brown, who wrote for a number of Chicago newspapers, and John Drebinger, a 41-year veteran of the New York Times.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Cool Papa Bell, Roy Campanella, Jocko Conlan, Stan Coveleski, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Grove, Jesse Haines, Harry Hooper, Monte Irvin, George Kelly, Buck Leonard, Ted Lyons, Mickey Mantle, Rube Marquard, Joe Medwick, Stan Musial, Satchel Paige, Sam Rice, Red Ruffing, Warren Spahn, Casey Stengel, Bill Terry, Lloyd Waner
1975
1975 Induction Class
The New York Times described the weather as “perfect” when the Hall of Fame enshrined five new members on August 18, 1975. BBWAA selection Ralph Kiner was inducted along with Veterans Committee choices Earl Averill, Bucky Harris and Billy Herman and the Negro Leagues Committee pick, Judy Johnson. Jon Carmichael of the Chicago Daily News and James Isaminger of the Philadelphia North American and later the Inquirer, were each presented with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Earl Averill, Cool Papa Bell, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella,
Jocko Conlan, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Burleigh Grimes, Billy Herman, Waite Hoyt, Monte Irvin, Judy Johnson, George Kelly, Ralph Kiner, Buck Leonard, Rube Marquard, Stan Musial, Edd Roush, Red Ruffing, Bill Terry, Lloyd Waner
1976
1976 Induction Class
The Hall of Fame saw its membership grow by six on August 9, 1976 as the induction ceremony had to be moved indoors to a ballroom at the Otesaga Hotel due to rain. The BBWAA elected Bob Lemon and Robin Roberts; the Veterans Committee elected Fred Lindstrom, Cal Hubbard and Roger Connor; and the Negro Leagues Committee elected Oscar Charleston. The J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing was shared by Washington Post writer Shirley Povich and Tom Meany, who wrote for numerous newspapers in New York.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Earl Averill, Cool Papa Bell, Jocko Conlan, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer, Burleigh Grimes, Billy Herman, Cal Hubbard, Judy Johnson, George Kelly, Ralph Kiner, Bob Lemon, Buck Leonard, Fred Lindstrom, Rube Marquard, Robin Roberts, Warren Spahn, Bill Terry, Lloyd Waner, Early Wynn
1977
1977 Induction Class
Ernie Banks was elected by the BBWAA, three players by the Veterans Committee and two by the Committee on Negro League Baseball for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame on August 8, 1977. The Veterans Committee honored Al Lopez, Amos Rusie and Joe Sewell, while the Committee on the Negro Leagues enshrined Martin Dihigo and Pop Lloyd. Red Smtih and Harold Kaese were each presented with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Luke Appling, Earl Averill, Ernie Banks, Cool Papa Bell, Roy Campanella, Jocko Conlan, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Charlie Gehringer, Burleigh Grimes, Billy Herman, Cal Hubbard, Monte Irvin, Judy Johnson, George Kelly, Buck Leonard, Fred Lindstrom, Al Lopez, Rube Marquard, Stan Musial, Robin Roberts, Red Ruffing, Joe Sewell, Bill Terry, Lloyd Waner
1978
1978 Induction Class
Eddie Mathews, Larry MacPhail and Addie Joss were enshrined in Cooperstown on August 7, 1978 in front of 22 previous inductees. The first Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence was awarded and it was shared by two New York voices: the Yankees’ Mel Allen and the Dodgers’ Red Barber. Former Chicago Herald-Examiner and Sun-Times writer Edgar Munzel and Gordon Cobbledick of the Cleveland Plain Dealer shared the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Ernie Banks, Cool Papa Bell, Roy Campanella, Jocko Conlan, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer, Burleigh Grimes, Judy Johnson, George Kelly, Ralph Kiner, Buck Leonard, Fred Lindstrom, Al Lopez, Rube Marquard, Eddie Mathews, Stan Musial, Robin Roberts, Red Ruffing, Warren Spahn, Joe Sewell, Lloyd Waner
1979
1979 Induction Class
Willie Mays, elected by the BBWAA, and Hack Wilson and former National League President Warren Giles, posthumously selected by the Veterans Committee, were inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 5, 1979. The J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing was shared by New York columnist Dick Young and Tim Murnane, former baseball editor of the Boston Globe. Chicago sportscaster Bob Elson received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcast excellence.
Hall of Famers in Attendance
Earl Averill, Ernie Banks, Cool Papa Bell, Roy Campanella, Jocko Conlan, Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Bill Dickey, Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer, Burleigh Grimes, Billy Herman, Monte Irvin, Judy Johnson, Bob Lemon, Buck Leonard, Fred Lindstrom, Al Lopez, Rube Marquard, Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Satchel Paige, Robin Roberts, Red Ruffing, Joe Sewell, Warren Spahn, Lloyd Waner
