Lou Gehrig

Widely regarded as the greatest first baseman of all time, Lou Gehrig broke countless records during a glittering Major League Baseball career in which he built a reputation as an all-American hero. Born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig to German parents in Yorkville, NY in 1903, the only one of four children to survive infancy attended Columbia University on a football scholarship, but it was his skills as a power hitter, honed during a spell on the school's baseball team, that propelled him to fame and fortune. In 1923, Gehrig signed a full-time professional contract with the New York Yankees, and following two seasons with the Eastern League's Hartford, he made his breakthrough as a replacement for the aging Wally Pipp. Once Gehrig asserted his place in the team, he never left, racking up an astonishing 2130 consecutive games (a record which stood for over 50 years) despite various injuries to earn the nickname "The Iron Horse." Forging strong offensive partnerships with Babe Ruth and then Joe DiMaggio, Gehrig also broke the American League record by clubbing 184 RBIs in the 1931 season, became only the third player in history to hit four home runs in a single game a year later and took home the sport's coveted Triple Crown in 1934. By 1939, Gehrig was a six-time World Series champion, seven-time All-Star and a two-time Most Valuable Player. Sadly, Gehrig was forced to cut his career short that same year when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease which later became eponymous with his name. Following a poignant speech at the Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium and a brief stint as a New York City Parole Commissioner, Gehrig died in his sleep at his New York home, aged just 37.