There have been many great baseball players and many who oozed with excitement. But perhaps no one man combined greatness and excitement like Willie Mays.

Virginia can be proud to have a small chapter in the Mays story. From May 1952 to March 1954, the great Mays was a U.S. soldier, stationed at Fort Eustis in Newport News.

He was drafted during the Korean War and missed a total of 266 games with the New York Giants. Finishing with 660 homers, he might have broken Babe Ruth’s career record of 714 had he not served his country.

While at Fort Eustis, Mays played on the base’s ballclub and developed his signature “basket catch” from another big leaguer, Al Fortunato.