Renacci bill would posthumously award medal to Larry Doby

U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) wants to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Larry Doby for his many achievements and contributions to civil rights, the Armed Forces and American major league athletics.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues in passing this legislation and further recognizing the incredible life and career of Larry Doby,” said Renacci in introducing the Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act, H.R. 1861, earlier this month.

Born in South Carolina in 1923, Doby moved to New Jersey in 1938 where he became a four-sport high school athlete standout. He landed a basketball scholarship to Long Island University but left to enlist in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and played baseball in the Negro National League for the Newark Eagles that season. Then his contract got bought by the Cleveland Indians, making Doby the first African-American to play in the American League, which he did for 13 years. In 1948, Doby helped the Indians win the World Series over the Boston Braves and he became the first black player to hit a home run in a World Series game.

After his baseball career, Doby became only the second African-American manager of a Major League Baseball team when he took on management of the Chicago White Sox in 1978. Doby was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. He also received several honorary doctorate degrees and was director of community relations for the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association, where he was involved in many inner-city youth programs. Doby died of cancer at age 79 in New Jersey on June 18, 2003.

“As another exciting year of Indians baseball begins, I am excited and honored to introduce legislation that would award Larry Doby the Congressional Gold Medal. Larry Doby joined the Major Leagues shortly after the great Jackie Robinson and faced the same struggles and barriers without the same recognition,” said Renacci, who introduced H.R. 1861 with U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ).

The Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are generally considered to carry the same level of prestige. The chief difference between the two is that the Freedom Medal is personally awarded by the President of the United States, and Congressional Gold Medals are awarded by acts of Congress.

Per committee rules, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon a recipient must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of both the House and Senate before their respective committees will consider it.

The House bill now has 117 cosponsors and is under consideration by the House Financial Services Committee. Companion bill S. 802 was introduced April 3 by U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and it has been referred to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.