Hank Aaron Gets Honorary Degree From Princeton

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron can add an honorary degree from Princeton University to his trophy case.

The former home run record-holder was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities for making America a better place with his "imperishable example of grace under pressure."

The university cited how he kept his cool while pursuing Babe Ruth's home run record nearly 40 years ago.

Princeton's Website
Henry Aaron, Doctor of Humanities
Henry "Hank" Aaron is one of the most accomplished baseball players in American history and is currently senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves. As a player entering Major League Baseball soon after its integration in 1954, he confronted racism with quiet dignity, and as an executive he has fought discrimination in hiring practices. Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth to become the all-time home-run king in 1974, and with his 755 total home runs he held the title until 2007. Over a 23-year career, he also set records for games played, at bats, total bases, extra-base hits and runs batted in. Aaron was the first player to reach 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. A .305 lifetime batter who finished with 3,771 hits, he was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1957, won three Gold Gloves for his defensive play in right field and was named to 25 All-Star teams.

Before retiring in 1976, Aaron played for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, after stints in the Negro American League and the minor leagues. He won a World Series championship with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957. After he finished his playing career, his uniform number, 44, was retired in Milwaukee and Atlanta. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, and in 1999, the same year Aaron was named to the All-Century Team, Major League Baseball established the Hank Aaron Award for the best regular season offensive performance. Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.

He was 17 when he left Alabama and embarked on one of the greatest careers in baseball history, beginning in the Negro American League. When he joined the major league Milwaukee Braves, his signing bonus was a cardboard suitcase. When he retired after 23 major league seasons, he probably held the record for the most records held, including the record for career home runs at 755. As he approached Babe Ruth's record of 714, he received almost a million letters, many of them abusive. Today America is a much better place with much more opportunity for all, in part because he gave all of us an imperishable example of grace under pressure.

Princeton keeps its list of honorary degree recipients secret until the commencement ceremony. University President Shirley Tilghman gave the address, as she usually does.

The five others granted honorary degrees during Tuesday's ceremony are children's advocate Geoffrey Canada, clinical researcher and University of California-San Francisco chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, former Princeton history professor Charles Gillispie, dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison and legal expert Robert Rawson Jr.