Although Josh Gibson never received an opportunity to play in the MLB, his legendary status throughout the Negro Leagues have left generations of baseball fans wondering how great he could have been. Before dying at just thirty-five, only three months before Jackie Robinson broke the MLB’s color barrier, Gibson was the Negro League’s premier power hitter.

He racked up almost 800 home runs and appeared in twelve all-star games over his 17 year career with the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. Legend even has it that Gibson hit a ball more than 580 feet while playing in a Negro League game at Yankees Stadium.