Aug. 31, 1955: Ernie Banks shows the long stride and wrist action of his swing while batting in a game at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, N.Y. Banks hit 512 home runs in his career.
Jan. 15, 1956: Three baseball men honored by Chicago baseball writers at their annual dinner display their plaques. From left to right: Ernie Banks, chosen Chicago's outstanding player; Warren Giles, National League president, honored for long and meritorious service to the game; and Tommy Byrne, New York Yankees pitcher, for baseball's finest comeback of 1955.
Nov. 5, 1959: Ernie Banks, who won the National League Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year, makes room on his mantle for a new trophy. The round plaque in center is the 1958 Most Valuable player award.
1967: Ernie Banks poses in uniform. Banks became the Cubs’ first African-American player when he played in a game on Sept. 17, 1953.
Chicago Cubs' Ernie Banks poses for a photo in 1968. Banks hit 512 home runs and had 1,636 RBIs in his career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. He died Friday at the age of 83.
May 9, 1970: Ernie Banks leaps over the St. Louis Cardinals' Gino Cimoli to relay to first base and complete a double play in a game in St. Louis.
Hall of Famer Ernie Banks said in 2008, when a statue of him was unveiled outside Wrigley Field, "I wanted to finish my career with one team, in one city, one mayor, one park, one owner. I did that."
President Obama awards baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House in November 2013. When notified that he would receive the award, Banks said, "This award means a lot to me. It’s almost like the Nobel Peace Prize to me.”
Aug. 13, 2013: Ernie Banks waves to the crowd before a Cubs game against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
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