He was JoeDiMaggio's teammate and Yogi Berra's friend, but ultimately, he became a quiet hometown hero to the kids in his hometown of London, Ontario.

Although he was a Yankee and was a major-leaguer for six seasons, Frank Colman's name is not part of Yankee legend. But generations of London kids have Colman to thank for their baseball beginnings.

Colman was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on July 2, primarily for his contribution to kids' baseball in London. After his playing career, he returned to his hometown and founded the Eager Beaver Baseball Association, which has endured for the past 45 years and now has 850 players.

Frank Colman died in 1983 at age 65. His son, Frank Colman Jr., accepted the hall of fame plaque at the ceremony in St. Mary's, with a large contingent of Colmans on hand.

"If he were here, I think he would say his greatest accomplishment has been his contribution to the community through the work with the Eager Beaver Baseball Association." his son said. "That was his real pride and joy. He really loved that kind of work."

Colman and Yogi Berra were teammates with the minor-league Newark Bears in 1946 and both were called up to the Yankees at the end of the season.

In 1947, Colman opened the season as the starting right fielder but suffered a leg injury early in the year and underwent season-ending surgery. That would be his last season in the big leagues.

He played for the Pirates from 1942 through part of 1946. His best season was 1944, when he hit .270 with six homers and 53 RBI in 99 games. His lifetime batting average was .228 in 271 games.

In a letter to the hall of fame, Berra wrote that he visited Colman at his home in Canada on several occasions.

"I've made a lot of friends in baseball through the years, but I'll always remember Frank as one of the most decent and genuine people that I ever met," Berra wrote. "I was proud that he was my friend."

Colman played five years in the minors before retiring from pro ball. After he returned to London, he was owner and player-manager of the London Majors in the Intercounty League, then devoted much of his time and energy to building the Eager Beaver association.

Article from  TruNorth