HENDERSON, RICKEY

born Dec. 25, 1958, Chicago, Ill., U.S. Henderson holding his record-breaking 939th stolen base, May 1, 1991 in full Rickey Henley Henderson African-American professional baseball player who set a record in the early 1990s for the most stolen bases in major league baseball. Henderson was an All-American running back in football as a high school athlete in Oakland, Calif. He chose to play baseball over football, competing in the minor leagues for four seasons. Henderson's career in major league baseball began with the Oakland Athletics in June 1979. In 1980, his first full season, he became one of only three players ever to steal 100 bases, breaking Ty Cobb's American League record of 96 bases. It was the first of seven consecutive seasons in which Henderson led the American League in stolen bases. In 1982 he broke Lou Brock's single-season record of 118 stolen bases, set in 1974, with 130 stolen bases. Henderson added 108 stolen bases the following year. Henderson was traded to the New York Yankees after the 1984 season. In 1985 he scored a career-best 146 runs and hit 24 home runs, and in 1986 he scored 130 runs with 28 homers; for both seasons he led the league in steals. He was traded back to Oakland midway through the 1989 season and helped the Athletics win the World Series. In 1990 Henderson was selected as the American League's Most Valuable Player, hitting 28 home runs, scoring 119 runs, stealing 65 bases, and batting .325. He set the American League career stolen-base record that year with his 893rd steal, again breaking a mark set by Cobb. Henderson stole the 939th base of his career in 1991, breaking Brock's major league record. Midway through 1993, Henderson was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was again part of a World Series championship team. He returned to Oakland as a free agent before signing with the San Diego Padres in December 1995. Henderson's autobiography, Off Base, was published in 1992.