Okay, so maybe you were a bit too young to recognize who this guy was. Or maybe you simply didn’t follow every major leaguer in the late 1970s. Or maybe you weren’t born when Burke was playing.

Gleen Burke (1952-1995) is the first major league baseball player to acknowledge his homosexuality. Before Burke, it was NFL running back Dave Kopay. And after Burke came tennis stars Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, spreading the message that, yes, in sports, there are gay athletes.

Burke only played five seasons of MLB ball. Much of them years were spent with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where Burke played for three years. In game one the 1977 World Series at Yankee Stadium, Burke singled for his only hit in postseason play. Had not for a misjudged call by an umpire, Burke would’ve been credited with an RBI, as teammate Steve Garvey was called out at home.

Another overlooked moment in Burke’s career came shortly before the World Series. When Dusty Baker hit a home run during one of the final games of the season, Burke congradulated him at home plate with a “high five”, a gesture that has since become synomynous with home runs and touchdown celebrations. Moments later, Burke hit the first of two career home runs, and Baker gave Burke a high five of his own.

During his career, Burke made no effort to hide his sexual orientation. Dodgers’ manager Tommy Lasorda was taken back when Burke became friends with Lasorda’s estranged son Spunky, who was said to be gay. In an act of homophobia, Lasorda traded Burke to the Oakland A’s, a team, which, by then, was a shadow of their former glory, with all the stars from the early 1970s championship roster having been shipped to other teams.

To make matters worse was the A’s new manager, Billy Martin, who, as detailed in Billy Bean’s autobiography Going The Other Way, aimed a sexual epithet at Burke. After injuring his knee at the beginning of the 1980 season, Martin demoted Burke to the minor leagues, where his career ended.

Though he went on to participate in other sports, and went on to medal in the Gay Games of 1982, Burke’s life spiraled out of control. Battling drugs, depression, and homelessness, he died in 1995 from AIDS complications.

Today, when we see athletes celebrate with a high five, an homage is directly paid to Glenn Burke, whether we realize it or not. He was a pioneer years ahead of its time.