He was only a car dealer for seven years, but baseball star Hank Aaron had his accomplishments in the showroom as well as the batter's box.
Aaron, the major league Hall of Famer, philanthropist and voice of civil rights who died Jan. 22 at 86, relaunched himself as an entrepreneur after retiring from baseball in 1976. He opened 17 fast-food franchises and started Hank Aaron Automotive Group.
The Atlanta-based auto group consisted of Hank Aaron BMW, Hank Aaron Mini, Hank Aaron Honda, Hank Aaron Toyota, Hank Aaron Jaguar and Hank Aaron Land Rover.
In 2004, he was named Auto Dealer of the Year by Black Enterprise, and his group ranked No. 15 on the magazine's Auto Dealers list in 2006, with $136.7 million in revenue.
Aaron offered some auto dealer advice to former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez as he embarked on his own automotive adventure, according to a 2004 article by Automotive News. Aaron advised him: "You've got to put in some time with it. If you don't, it's not going to work."
Aaron sold each of his stores and retired again in 2008. He said he wanted to "enjoy the good graces that God has given him," Allan Tanenbaum, Aaron's business adviser, said in an interview with Black Enterprise.
In a statement issued following Aaron's death, the Atlanta Braves said he "wasn't just our icon, but one across Major League Baseball and around the world. His success on the diamond was matched only by his business accomplishments off the field and capped by his extraordinary philanthropic efforts."
Aaron was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 as an advocate for civil rights.
His baseball career lasted 23 seasons and consisted of "the most famous home run in baseball history," according to MLB.com.
That 715th home run, in 1974, put the Atlanta Braves outfielder ahead of Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list.
In that moment, announcer Vin Scully said: "What a marvelous moment for baseball, what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia, what a marvelous moment for the country and the world."
Aaron continued playing after breaking the record, ending his career with 755 home runs.
