The 911th Airlift Wing christened one of its C-17 Globemaster III aircraft "Spirit of Roberto Clemente" on Sept. 15, 2026, dedicating tail number 93-0601 to the Pittsburgh Pirates legend on the day Major League Baseball sets aside each year to honor “The Great One.”
The naming took place at Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, home of the Steel Airmen who maintain and fly a fleet of eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs, intended to honor Clemente's history of delivering aid abroad.
“The 911th Maintenance Squadron ensures our aircraft are ready to deliver strategic airlift and aeromedical evacuation anytime, anywhere, and sometimes that means bringing hope and relief to people who need it most,” said Maj. Nicholas Velasquez, 911th MXS commander. “Roberto Clemente’s final act was an effort to deliver humanitarian aid to Nicaragua, so there is a meaningful connection between his legacy of service and what our Airmen enable everyday.”
Clemente, who died on Dec. 31, 1972, at age 38, when the DC-7 cargo aircraft he had chartered crashed shortly after takeoff from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Clemente was on the flight to personally ensure earthquake relief supplies reached victims in Managua, Nicaragua, after reports surfaced that earlier aid shipments had been diverted.
“When our Steel Airmen prepare and then fly a C-17 for a humanitarian mission, they are carrying forward that same spirit of service using their skills and our aircraft to make a difference far beyond Pittsburgh,” said Velasquez.
Clemente, a native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, played 18 seasons in right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing his career with exactly 3,000 hits, four National League batting titles, 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1961 to 1972 and the 1966 NL MVP award. He was named MVP of the 1971 World Series after hitting .414 as the Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles in seven games, and he helped Pittsburgh win a second title in 1960. He was posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Major League Baseball established Roberto Clemente Day in 2002 to honor his legacy on and off the field, and the league has marked it every year since on Sept. 15 — a date that also opens National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15. Each year, MLB clubs announce nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award, presented during the World Series to the player who best represents the game through character, community involvement and philanthropy.
Echoes of Clemente ripple across the Three Rivers and streets of the Steel City. Clemente's number 21 was retired by the Pirates and has taken on a meaning that extends well beyond the ballpark. A statue of Clemente stands outside PNC Park, and the Roberto Clemente Bridge — closed to traffic on game days and filled with fans walking ove the Allegheny River to the stadium — bears his name.
Now, Steel Airmen will fly his name around the globe and, in time, his image. Capt. Nicole Johnson, Steel City Spark Cell’s innovation officer and maintenance officer, said the naming of the aircraft on Roberto Clemente Day is only the first step and the wing hopes to add nose art to ”The Spirit of Roberto Clemente” as well. As the designer and artist of the upcoming work, Johnson affirmed the gravity of the piece.
“It’s not just a paint job,” said Johnson. “We are running every detail past his family before it ever touches the aircraft. He means too much to Pittsburgh, Puerto Rico and fans all over the world to get any of it wrong.”
As the details are still being finalized to reflect Clemente's legacy accurately, no anticipated date has been announced.