Glenn Burke - Inductee

“They can’t ever say that a gay man can’t play in the Majors,
because I’m a gay man and I did it.”

- Glenn Burke

Described by one Major League coach as the next Willie Mays, Glenn Burke played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-1978) and Oakland Athletics (1978-1979). After setting records for stolen bases in the minor leagues, he played 225 games in a brief big league career, batting .237 with two home runs, 38 RBIs and 35 steals. In 1977, after Dusty Baker hit a record-breaking homer, Burke – who was on-deck – held up his right hand for Baker to slap as he left the field. Ever since, Glenn Burke has been credited with inventing the “High Five” – the most ubiquitous gesture of congratulations in all of sports. Later that season, Burke started in Game 1 of the World Series. “He was the life of the party” said Baker. “We loved having Glenn around. He was a hell of a ballplayer… a big part of our team.” Though popular with his teammates, management resented his presence after they learned of his sexuality. Manager Tommy Lasorda was angered by Burke’s friendship with his gay son; General Manager Al Campanis offered to pay for a lavish honeymoon if Burke would get married. (He refused.) With tensions growing, Burke was traded to Oakland, where he saw little playing time and was forced to endure manager Billy Martin referring to him as a “faggot” in front of his teammates. Unwilling to accept his plight, Burke quit the team. At the age of 27 his dream of a being a Major League baseball player was over.  Of this experience he later wrote, “Prejudice drove me out of baseball sooner than I should have. But I wasn’t changing.” Initially a beloved celebrity in the Castro District of San Francisco following his pro sports days, the years following Burke’s premature departure from baseball – rife with drug problems, periods of homelessness, and illness – quickly descended into a poignant fall from grace. In 1982 his sexuality was made public in Inside Sports – the same year he won two track medals in the first Gay Games. Burke died of complications from HIV in 1995 at the age of 42.