Los Angeles Dodgers great Maury Wills, the first black player for the original Fort Worth Cats, has died at the age of 89.
Wills' big league career included eight seasons with the LA Dodgers during which he set the MLB single season record for stolen bases (later broken by Lou Brock).
Before making the major leagues in 1959, he had an eight-year career in the minor leagues including the 1955 season with the Cats, at the time a minor league affiliate of the then Brooklyn Dodgers.
Four of his Cats teammates went on to become big league managers including Dick Williams, Sparky Anderson, Norm Sherry and Danny Ozark.
In a 2004 interview, Wills told the Star-Telegram that playing in Fort Worth was a big stepping stone on his path to the big leagues: "For a long time I was in the lower classifications and to get promoted to Fort Worth --that was a sign of hope."
Wills died at his Arizona home Monday night. His son Bump Wills played five seasons for the Texas Rangers in the late 70s and early 80s.
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