New view of Aaron hitting 715th home run

Fan kept video of on-field celebration private for 50 years

Charlie Russo had an unbelievable view of Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run. Fifty years later, he’s ready to share it with the world.

The 81-year-old Russo is releasing his long-private video of the moment Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record on April 8, 1974, which he captured after surreptitiously following Aaron’s family onto the field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He was right there celebrating at home plate with Aaron, his family and teammates — including Dusty Baker, who was on deck for the Atlanta Braves when Aaron connected.

“Was that guy filming?” Baker asked when told about the video made available to The Associated Press by Russo and his family. “Come on! I’ve never seen that!”

Russo’s video shows Aaron — standing just feet away — raising his right arm and smiling to the cheering crowd.

“Everything just fell into place,” Russo said. “I mean, just everything we did was just, you know, magical.”

Russo says he and his uncle, Joseph Mathews, obtained the coveted tickets before making the drive from Savannah.

The game was a sellout, with a crowd of 53,775. Russo recalls that finding the tickets was just the start of a charmed day.

Russo was filming from seats behind the third-base dugout when Aaron’s drive cleared the wall in left-centre in his second at-bat. He then walked closer to where he had seen Aaron’s family and entertainers Sammy Davis Jr. and Pearl Bailey seated. When Aaron’s mother, father and others made their way toward the field, Russo followed.

“They open the gate and they go,” Russo said.

“So I go in the field, too. I mean, it’s just like ‘OK, I’m part of the family.’ ”

Russo’s shots — filmed with an 8 mm camera — show him getting closer and closer to Aaron, until suddenly Aaron is grinning inches away from his lens. He also got a close-up moment with Davis, who had promised $25,000 to whoever caught the home run. Footage from other cameras shows Russo, in a brown leather jacket, standing directly behind Aaron while the Hall of Famer waved to someone in the stands.

It was remarkable access given the security concerns around Aaron at the time. Aaron received numerous death threats as he approached Ruth’s record, the target of racism as a Black man set to pass a white player whose mark was set while the sport was segregated. Despite extra security, Russo — who is white — said he was never questioned.

“Nobody says anything,” he said. “Well, all the attention is on Aaron, you know?”