III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 801 

Honoring the life and enduring legacy of William ‘‘Willie’’ Howard Mays, 

Jr. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 1, 2024 

Mrs. BRITT (for herself, Ms. BUTLER, Mr. TUBERVILLE, and Mr. PADILLA) 

submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life and enduring legacy of William ‘‘Willie’’ 

Howard Mays, Jr. 

Whereas William ‘‘Willie’’ Howard Mays, Jr. (referred to in 

this preamble as ‘‘Mays’’) was born in the former town 

of Westfield, in Jefferson County, Alabama, in 1931, and 

began playing baseball at an early age with his father, 

‘‘Cat’’ Mays, who was an accomplished baseball player 

himself; 

Whereas Mays was a standout multi sport athlete at Fairfield 

Industrial High School, leading the basketball team in 

scoring, playing multiple positions on the football team, 

and showcasing his natural talent for baseball; 

Whereas, in 1948, Mays began his professional baseball career at age 16 in the Negro American League, 11 years 


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•SRES 801 ATS 

before the complete integration of Major League Baseball 

in 1959; 

Whereas, in 1948, Mays recorded his first professional hit at 

Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, while playing 

for the Birmingham Black Barons, and used his outstanding fielding, batting, and base running ability to 

help lead the team to the 1948 Negro World Series; 

Whereas, in 1950, Mays signed a contract with the New York 

Giants after graduating from Fairfield Industrial High 

School, spent a brief year in the minor leagues, and was 

quickly called up to play his first game for the New York 

Giants on May 24, 1951; 

Whereas, in 1951, Mays was voted the National League 

Rookie of the Year after recording 68 runs batted in and 

20 home runs in 121 games; 

Whereas, from 1952 to 1954, Mays was drafted into the 

Army and served the United States during the Korean 

War; 

Whereas during Mays military service, he spent most of his 

time in the Army at Fort Eustis, Virginia, as an athletic 

instructor and played baseball for the Fort Eustis 

Wheels; 

Whereas, after Mays finished his service in the Army, Mays 

returned to help the New York Giants win the 1954 

World Series by robbing a Cleveland batter of a go-ahead 

run with an implausible basket catch in deep center field 

to win game 1 of the 1954 World Series, in a moment 

that will be forever remembered as ‘‘The Catch’’; 

Whereas Mays earned a remarkable number of awards and 

accolades throughout his career in Major League Baseball, including— 


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•SRES 801 ATS 

(1) 24 All-Star Game selections; 

(2) 2 National League Most Valuable Player 

Awards; 

(3) 12 Gold Glove Awards; and 

(4) 4 National League home run leader titles; 

Whereas Mays achieved a .302 lifetime batting average while 

recording 3,293 hits, 660 home runs, and a Major 

League Baseball all-time record of 7,112 putouts from 

the outfield; 

Whereas Mays is the only player in Major League Baseball 

history with more than 300 home runs, 300 stolen bases, 

3,000 career hits, and a career batting average greater 

than .300; 

Whereas the accomplishments by Mays were not fully recognized until 2024, when Major League Baseball incorporated the statistics from the Negro American League 

into the Major League Baseball historical records; 

Whereas, in 1979, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of 

Fame on his first ballot; 

Whereas, as a tribute to the indelible impact and enduring 

legacy of Mays, whose jersey number was 24, the San 

Francisco Giants and New York Mets retired the jersey 

number 24 so that no other player on those teams could 

wear that number again; 

Whereas the address of the stadium of the San Francisco Giants is 24 Willie Mays Plaza, in recognition of the contributions and impact that Mays had on the San Francisco Giants organization throughout his life; 

Whereas, in 2015, Mays was awarded the Presidential Medal 

of Freedom, the highest honor the President can award 

to a civilian; 


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•SRES 801 ATS 

Whereas, on June 18, 2024, Mays died at 93 years old, 2 

days before Major League Baseball hosted its first ever 

game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, where 

Mays made his professional baseball debut 76 years earlier; and 

Whereas Mays personified the American Dream by relying on 

his relentless work ethic and determination to become an 

immortal giant of the national pastime of baseball, all 

while inspiring millions of people across the United 

States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the timeless values of hard work and 

3 sacrifice that William ‘‘Willie’’ Howard Mays, Jr. 

4 embodied; 

5 (2) recognizes the inspiration that William 

6 ‘‘Willie’’ Howard Mays, Jr. was and continues to be 

7 for generations of people in the United States; and 

8 (3) celebrates the historic feats that William 

9 ‘‘Willie’’ Howard Mays, Jr. achieved while playing 

10 baseball, the game that he loved. 

Æ 


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