A wooden statue of Roberto Clemente will soon be placed in Graham Park in Cranberry Township. Clemente, who died on New Year's Eve in 1972, would have turned 83 today.

During his playing career, Roberto Clemente became known as “The Great One.”

It was a fitting moniker, considering not only his exploits on the baseball field, but also his acts off of it.

The former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder died in a plane crash in Dec. 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He would have turned 83 Friday.

It was the last of many charitable deeds he performed during his 18 years in the majors, which included 3,000 hits, 12 Gold Gloves, four batting titles and two World Series championships.

He was so revered that, following his death, the Baseball Hall of Fame's standard five-year waiting period following a player's career was waived and Clemente was inducted in the summer of 1973.

The first Major League team to sign Clemente was the Brooklyn Dodgers in Feb. 1954. He played one season with the Dodgers' minor league affiliate in Montreal before signing with Pittsburgh.

The native of Puerto Rico was often misunderstood due to his broken English, but his athletic ability was heard loud and clear.

His play reached its peak in the 1971 World Series against Baltimore. Clemente, who was 37 at the time, batted .414 (12-for-29), had five extra-base hits and turned in several magnificent defensive plays against the Orioles in a 4-3 series win. For his efforts, he was named Most Valuable Player.

He was also a member of the 1960 Pirates, who defeated the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic.

Clemente managed at least one hit in all 14 World Series games he played in.

Dick Groat played with Clemente for eight seasons (1955-62) and saw his ability on a daily basis.

“Clemente was the greatest God-given talent I ever saw on the baseball diamond,” he said.