Rocky Colavito - Still A Cleveland Icon

Still A Cleveland Icon

In his 1,841-game career, Colavito batted .266 with 374 HRs, 1,159 RBI, 971 runs, 1,730 hits, 283 doubles and 21 triples. As an outfielder, he recorded 3323 putouts, 123 assists, 26 double plays, and committed 70 errors in 3516 total chances for a .980 fielding percentage. In 1976 he was voted the most memorable personality in Indians history, and in 2001 he received a huge ovation at the introduction of the Indians' All-Century team.

In 1994, Terry Pluto, who covered the Indians for The Plain Dealer in the 1980s and became the top sports columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal (but returned to The Plain Dealer in 2007), published The Curse of Rocky Colavito, a book that tried to explain why the Indians had not come within even 11 games of first place since 1959. His explanation was that the trade of Colavito in 1960 sent the team on a path to mediocrity that lasted more than three decades, also suggesting that the trade to bring Colavito back was as bad as the one that sent him away.

When the Indians finally won their first pennant in 41 years in 1995, Pluto wrote a sequel, Burying the Curse. The Indians also won the pennant in 1997, but lost the World Series both times, the second time after needing just two more outs in Game 7 to win. Insisting that the curse was still in effect, Pluto wrote Our Tribe, a history of the team, in 1999. As of 2010, the Indians have not won another pennant since 1997, and have not won the World Series since 1948.

On July 29, 2006, Colavito, along with Ray Chapman, Addie Joss, Sam McDowell, Al Rosen, Herb Score and manager Al Lopez, was inducted into the Cleveland Indians' Hall of Fame.