There is another shame associated with breaking the modern era colored barrier, that being the decline of the Negro Leagues. From the 30's into the early 50's the Negro Leagues offered major league caliber baseball in dozens of cities across the country. Players made a decent living and the teams were primarily owned by other blacks.
150 former Negro League players ended their careers in MLB.
Would Hank Aaron be the last Negro League player who retired (in about 1976)? Of course, we all know what he was most famous for, but I wonder if that is another thing that he was also known for?