A native of Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente spent 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was named a 15-time All-Star and earned two World Series championship titles. More than just an outstanding baseball player, who would go on to become the first player from the Caribbean and Latin America to be named to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Mr. Clemente was also heavily focused on supporting communities in need.
Unfortunately, in December 1972, Mr. Clemente tragically died in a plane crash while taking emergency relief goods to earthquake survivors in Nicaragua, but today his inspiring story can be felt in communities all around the world – including Azalea Park Little League in Orlando, Florida.
In 2014, a mural honoring Clemente was vandalized at the local league’s park, devastating the Little Leaguers® and their community. However, the loss of the mural did not last for long and the meaning behind it stood stronger than ever before.
One morning, Earl Lugo, who had just stepped down from serving as the League President in hopes of continuing his education, received a call.
“I got a phone call from one of the coaches and he was crying. That is how much that first Roberto Clemente mural meant to us,” said Mr. Lugo. “He called me and said, ‘you’re not going to believe this, but Roberto’s gone.’ Someone painted over the entire mural in black. Kids were sad, the neighborhood was furious and wanted answers. So, I looked at the situation and I saw it as an opportunity. Hey, we did this once, we can do it again.”
After weeks of the community coming together to rally resources and funds, the Azalea Park LL Board of Directors was able to commission New York artists Hector “Nicer” Nazario and Wilfredo Felciano to fly down and paint the new mural. A plan was in place, the muralists were ready to paint, and it was time to bring the community together to celebrate everyone’s efforts.
“We threw a party,” said Mr. Lugo “People are still talking about that party, which brought about 300 to 400 people to the park. There was a salsa band playing music, people dancing, parents grilling food, and a famous DJ from Brooklyn came down and surprised all of us. The radio station was there, the news was there, the mayor and commissioners were there. Everyone was taking pictures with the artists as they painted. It was a great time.”
On March 15, the work was complete, and Mr. Lugo, who received a proclamation from former Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs for his efforts, and the Azalea Park community welcomed the new mural honoring the late Roberto Clemente at the Azalea Park Little League field, bringing happiness and hope back to the neighborhood.
“With both the original and the new mural, my friends and I sat around just trying to think of ways to make the park better and give it a makeover without paying too much money. We had this black wall at the park that we kept staring at and we finally realized that if we painted something special there, it would get everyone’s attention,” said Mr. Lugo. “We wanted to give the kids pride and show them that they can follow their dreams and make it beyond Azalea Park. The mural was our way of giving back to the entire community, not just the kids. We wanted to give hope and inspiration to everyone in the community. The kids see it as their good luck charm.”
Today, 10 years later, the mural remains and continues to act as a reminder to all who see it of the importance of community.
“We have some kids in our league and community who might not be growing up in the best scenarios. They might not have a childhood full of support and love. But, at the Little League fields, they do have that love and they have not only their coaches to mentor them, but the story of Roberto Clemente, too, which gives them that sense of hope they might be looking for,” said Mr. Lugo. “The league and the community go together so perfectly because we all want that feeling of hope, so we all look out for each other. Our league makes a difference in the community and the community makes a difference in us and looks after us. Just the other day, I was cutting the grass at the fields early in the morning and I had a woman who lived near the field offer me a glass of cold water. That is what community is all about.”
Seeing the impact the mural had, Mr. Lugo, now back in his role as League President, decided the Little Leaguers and Azalea Park community could use a little more inspiration. Now at the Azalea Park LL field is a mural of MLB Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. Beyond the field, Mr. Lugo raised money and recruited Azalea Park LL parent Neysa Milan Santiago to paint a giant mural of Roberto Clemente at a nearby middle school with hopes that it would inspire kids outside of the Little League program, too.
For Mr. Lugo, the murals are more than just a form of art to spruce up a space, they are a way to teach life lessons to everyone within the community.
“I believe in everything Roberto Clemente used to say,” said Mr. Lugo. “One of his most famous sayings is, ‘anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth.’ In the Azalea Park neighborhood, we need to help each other and give each other hope.”
Founded in 1960, Azalea Park Little League is celebrating its 64th anniversary as a program in 2024. In celebration of Roberto Clemente Day, celebrated nationally on September 15, Mr. Earl, with the help of the Roberto Clemente Foundation and volunteers of Azalea Park Little League, will be handing out 50 free bicycles to Little Leaguers at the end of the month.
Today, Mr. Clemente’s legacy can be felt in communities around the world and each year a Major League Baseball player is presented with the Roberto Clemente Award (previously the Commissioner’s Award) based on someone who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual’s contribution to his team. Over the years, a number of former Little Leaguers have gone on to receive the award, including:
- 2023: Aaron Judge – Linden (Calif.) LL
- 2017: Anthony Rizzo – Parkland (Fla.) LL
- 2016: Curtis Granderson – Lynwood (Ill.) LL
- 2014: Paul Konerko – Norwich (Conn.) LL
- 2013: Carlos Beltrán – Jose Maria Rodriguez LL (Manatí, P.R.)
- 2010: Tim Wakefield – Eau Gallie South LL (Melbourne, Fla.)
- 2009: Derek Jeter – Kalamazoo (Mich.) LL
- 2006: Carlos Delgado – Aquadilla (P.R.) Municipal LL
- 2004: Edgar Martinez – Dorado (P.R.) LL
- 1992: Cal Ripken Jr. – Havre de Grace (Md.) LL
- 1989: Gary Carter – West Fullerton (Calif.) LL
- 1988: Dale Murphy – Tualatin LL (Portland, Ore.)
- 1985: Don Baylor – Western Hills LL (Austin, Texas)
- 1982: Ken Singleton – Mt. Vernon (N.Y.) LL
- 1981: Steve Garvey – Drew Park LL (Tampa, Fla.)
- 1978: Greg Luzinski – Prospect Heights (Ill.) LL
- 1977: Rod Carew – Panama City (Panama)