Bobby and him
Former Pittsburgh Pirates team photographer Les Banos became great friends with the team’s star Roberto Clemente. Had it not been for the Immaculate Reception that kept the Steelers in the playoffs, and thus kept Banos in Pittsburgh to work the game, Banos would have been on Clemente’s plane that crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Banos and Clemente had a very close relationship, something that I think is rare for photographers and their subjects these days. That relationship gave Banos the access to make some great photographs. Beginning this weekend, many of those photos are being displayed at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum in Pittsburgh.
