In a testament to the strength of Rocky Colavito’s legacy, his passing made front page news on The New York Times. Colavito, a Bronx native and Yankee alum but a Cleveland Indian through and through, was 91 years young when he passed away in his home in Bernville, Pa., on Tuesday.

The slugger made the cover of TIME magazine in 1959, he hit 374 home runs in his 14-year career and he was happy to sign autographs. For Italian Americans of his era, Colavito was more than a baseball star — he was a symbol of acceptance in a nation that had long marginalized their heritage.