Of all the tributes paid to Nashville native Junior Gilliam, perhaps the most monumental was when his number “19” was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers just two days after his death in October 1978. Born in Nashville in 1928, Gilliam was a twenty-one-year-old member of the Baltimore Elite Giants of the old National Negro League when his contract was purchased by the Dodgers. He spent two years at Montreal honing his skills before breaking into the Dodger lineup on opening day in 1953. As a Dodger second baseman that year, Gilliam set a major league rookie record with 100 walks, led the National League with seventeen triples, scored a career high 125 runs, and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1956, 1957, and 1959, he finished second to Willie Mays in stolen bases. Gilliam played fourteen seasons in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and appeared in seven World Series. Maury Wills credited the self-sacrifice and discipline of Gilliam, who hit behind him in the lineup, with allowing him to break the all-time stolen-base record. Gilliam was respected by his teammates for his work ethic and character. Though playing on a star-studded squad, no one developed his natural skills more than Junior or was more important to the success of his championship teams. A true inspiration, Nashville’s Junior Gilliam left a proud legacy of dignity and excellence on and off the diamond.