High Five Origin Story Involves Shreveport Baseball Player

"National High Five Day" takes place every year on the 3rd Thursday of April. Maybe you knew that, maybe you didn't. But here's something about the nationally recognized holiday: One of its inventors has a pretty solid connection to Shreveport, Louisiana.

The Origin of the High Five

The high five serves many purposes - it can be used as a greeting, congratulations or a celebration. It's literally a part of American culture. But, do you know the origins of the high five?

The general consensus is that the "original" high five occurred between Dusty Baker & Glenn Burke during the final game of the 1977 season. Dusty, then playing with the LA Dodgers, jacked his 30th home run of the season. Glenn Burke was in the on-deck circle. Dusty was celebrating his home run, Burke put his hand in the air, and not knowing what to do - Dusty slapped it. Or, as Dusty told beat reporter Jon Mooallem, "I reached up and hit his hand...it seemed like the thing to do".

If you want more details on the original High Five, there's an ESPN 30 for 30 short on it that's pretty awesome.

So, you may be thinking - what does ANY of this have to do with Shreveport? Well, Dusty Baker was not only a good baseball player and a great manager. He also happened to be the most notable player to ever dawn a Shreveport Braves uniform.

 Dusty Baker & the Shreveport Braves

You may be thinking to yourself "I know about the Shreveport Captains...but who the heck are the Braves?" The Shreveport Braves were the Atlanta Braves AA Texas League team that was located in Shreveport from 1968 to 1970. Although their existence was brief, they did feature some notable players including Darrell Evans and Ralph Garr.

READ MORE: 3 Louisiana Natives Have Had Their Numbers Retired By the Yankees

But, probably the most famous player to ever dawn a Braves uniform is Dusty Baker. A 20 year old Dusty Baker played 73 games for the Braves in 1969. During his time in Shreveport, he hit .257 with a .446 on-base percentage, 9 home runs and 31 RBIs. He then went on to have a 19 year career in the major leagues as a player.

Oh, and he had long and successful career as a manager - including winning a World Series win.