Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was born in Mobile, Alabama. He was the seventh child of twelve, and his family was poor. Instead of going to school, Paige would go fishing or looking for bottles to sell to help his family. At the age of 12 he got into trouble and was sent to reform school. This was where he started to play baseball. He was already known for how he could knock a bird out of the air with a rock.

His professional career started around 1926. It wasn't long before he became an attraction. Paige developed into one of baseball's most colorful players. He could fill a stadium with his pitching style and comical antics which turned him into a folk hero.

When Brooklyn Dodger's owner Branch Rickey set out to break the color barrier, his choices were narrowed to three players: Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, or Jackie Robinson. Although devastated by having Jackie Robinson chosen over him, Paige was eventually selected by the Cleveland Indians and became the first black pitcher in the majors in 1948.

Paige retired from baseball at about 59 years old, although no one really ever knew his actual age. He played baseball from 1926 to 1950. On August 9, 1971, Paige was the first player from the Negro Leagues elected to Coopertown's National Baseball Hall Of Fame.