#77 - Monte Irvin
Monte Irvin is probably the best athlete to ever come out of New Jersey having lettered in SIXTEEN sports in high school! One problem though…Irvin played baseball in the days before Jackie Robinson broke the MLB color barrier, so a good chunk of his baseball career was spent in the Negro Leagues. Initially, Irvin played under the name “Jimmy Nelson” because he was playing pro ball while STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL (He needed to maintain his amateur status while making a few bucks on the side!). Roy Campanella said that Irvin “was the best ball player he had ever seen!
