In their words

“Yogi Berra was an American original — a Hall of Famer and humble veteran; prolific jokester and jovial prophet. He epitomized what it meant to be a sportsman and a citizen, with a big heart, competitive spirit, and a selfless desire to open baseball to everyone, no matter their background.”

— President Barack Obama “We’ve lost Yogi, but we will always have what he left for us: the memories of a lifetime filled with greatness, humility, integrity and a whole bunch of smiles. He was a lovable friend.” — Joe Torre, former

Yankees manager “Yogi Berra’s legacy transcends baseball. Though slight in stature, he was a giant in the most significant of ways through his service to his country, compassion for others and genuine enthusiasm for the game he loved. He has always been a role model and hero that America could look up to.” — Hal Steinbrenner,

Yankees general managing partner “To those who didn’t know Yogi personally, he was one of the greatest baseball players and Yankees of all time. To those lucky ones who did, he was an even better person. To me he was a dear friend and mentor. He will always be remembered for his success on the field, but I believe his finest quality was how he treated everyone with sincerity and kindness.” — Derek Jeter, former

Yankees shortstop “Yogi is known a lot for his Yogi-isms, but he was one of the smartest baseball people I have ever been around. You don’t win as many championships as he has by not being smart.”

— Craig Biggio, Hall of Fame catcher/second

baseman