Ernie Banks 'Mr. Cub' Dies At 83

Whether you’re a Cubs fan or a Sox fan, Chicago lost a great one Friday evening.

The Chicago Cubs announced late Friday that baseball great and Hall of Famer Ernie Banks passed away at age 83. Banks became the first Cubs African-American player on Sept. 17, 1953, at the age of 22. He went on to hit 512 home runs with 1,636 RBIs, and was a two time National League MVP and an 11-time All Star.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. His was number -- 14 -- was the first to be retired by the Cubs.

Whether you watched him play as a Cub or introduced him to your kids and grandkids during his retirement years, most everyone has an Ernie Banks story, and it almost of them involve his kindness to fans, his optimism and his love for the game of baseball.

Renowned as “Mr. Cub,” Banks spent his entire career as player with the Chicago Cubs, but never got to play in a World Series.

Banks was born and raised in Dallas on Jan. 31, 1931, and was the oldest of 11 children. He entered the Negro baseball league in 1950 playing for the Kansas City Monarchs. After serving in the Army for two years, he joined the Chicago Cubs.

As a shortstop Banks had a .985 fielding average, and at one time held the record for most home runs hit by a shortstop -- 277. In 1960, he won a Golden Glove before eventually moving to first base.

On May 12, 1070, he hit his 500th home run in Wrigley Field.

He retired as a player after the 1971 season but stayed on as a Cubs coach until 1973,

In his retirement years, Banks embarked on charity work and became the first black Ford dealer. In November 2013, Banks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

At the unveiling of his statue in front of Wrigley Field at Clark and Addison in 2008, Banks joked after the ceremony, “When I am not here, this will be here,” the Chicago Tribune reported.

Let’s play two.

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