WASHINGTON — Legendary Cleveland Indians outfielder Larry Doby, a Paterson native who became the first black player in the American League, would be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal under legislation introduced Tuesday by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.
Pascrell (D-9th Dist.) co-sponsored the measure with Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio) to posthumously give Doby the honor.
"Like me, Larry Doby started out as a kid on the streets of Paterson, New Jersey, but he went on to blossom into a sports legend, a pioneer of American civil rights, and a man of great service to his country," said Pascrell, who earlier successfully pushed for President Barack Obama to give Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra the presidential medal of freedom.