50 years later, a Braves fan shares long-private video of Hank Aaron's 715th home run

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Charlie Russo had an unbelievable view of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. Fifty years later, he's ready to share it with the world.

The 81-year-old Russo is releasing his long-private footage of the moment Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record on April 8, 1974, which he captured after surreptitiously following Aaron's family onto the field at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He was right there celebrating at home plate with Aaron, his family and teammates — including Dusty Baker, who was on deck for the Atlanta Braves when Aaron connected.

“Was that guy filming?” Baker asked when told about the video made available to The Associated Press by Russo and his family. “Come on! I’ve never seen that!”

Russo's video shows Aaron — standing just feet away — raising his right arm and smiling to the cheering crowd.

“Everything just fell into place,” Russo said. “I mean, just everything we did was just, you know, magical.”

Russo says he and his uncle, Joseph Mathews, obtained the coveted tickets before making the drive from Savannah. The game was a sellout, with a crowd of 53,775. Russo recalls that finding the tickets was just the start of a charmed day.

Russo was filming from seats behind the third-base dugout when Aaron’s drive cleared the wall in left-center in his second at-bat. He then walked closer to where he had seen Aaron’s family and entertainers Sammy Davis Jr. and Pearl Bailey seated. When Aaron's mother, father and others made their way toward the field, Russo followed.

“They open the gate and they go,” Russo said. “So I go in the field, too. I mean, it’s just like ‘OK, I’m part of the family.’”

Russo's shots — filmed with an 8 mm camera — show him getting closer and closer to Aaron, until suddenly Aaron is grinning inches away from his lens. He also got a close-up moment with Davis, who had promised $25,000 to whoever caught the home run. Footage from other cameras shows Russo, in a brown leather jacket, standing directly behind Aaron while the Hall of Famer waved to someone in the stands.

It was remarkable access given the security concerns around Aaron at the time. Aaron received numerous death threats as he approached Ruth's record, the target of racism as a Black man set to pass a white player whose mark was set while the sport was segregated. Despite extra security, Russo — who is white — said he was never questioned.

“Nobody says anything,” he said. “Well, all the attention is on Aaron, you know?”

Former Braves media relations director Bob Hope says a popular rumor was that police snipers were in place atop the stadium due to security concerns. Hope says that wasn’t true, but when told about Russo’s story, he acknowledged security should have been more stringent.

Russo wasn’t the only unauthorized visitor on the field. Two 17-year-old fans, Britt Gaston and Cliff Courtenay, barged onto the diamond and joined Aaron as he ran around the bases.

“I mean, I don’t know how the security wasn’t tighter than it was,” Hope said. “It definitely should have been. ... I mean, the two kids run around the bases. Oh my gosh, if there were snipers, they would would have gotten them for sure.”

While filming, Russo looked down to see the rosin bag and weighted donut used by Braves hitters in the on-deck circle. Russo reached down and placed the items in his jacket.

"I was just down there and, you know, I think everything just sort of fell into place,” Russo said. “OK, this is the rosin bag and a donut. Oh, my Lord. And I put them in my pocket.”

Aaron visited Savannah a few months later and gave Russo a signature, which was placed in a frame with the rosin bag, donut and Sports Illustrated cover showing the record homer. Russo now wants to pass along the rosin bag and donut, perhaps for auction.

Russo said Aaron was not upset to learn Russo had the items from the on-deck circle.

“He was nice as he could be,” Russo said. “Came in and autographed them. ... I mean, his demeanor is just ‘Oh, man, that’s beautiful.’ And, I mean, he’s fine. And he signed them, ‘Best wishes, Hank Aaron.’”

Aaron finished his Hall of Fame career with 755 homers, a record broken by Barry Bonds in 2007.

The Braves plan to celebrate the 50th anniversary at Truist Park next week. Baker, who retired as Houston Astros manager after last season, plans to attend, along with Tom House, the relief pitcher who caught the homer in the Braves bullpen. Baker and Hope were the only non-family pallbearers at Aaron's funeral following his death at 86 in 2021.

Russo said being so close to one of the most famous homers in baseball history was not his first brush with a memorable game. He said he jumped over Sanford Stadium's hedges to walk onto the field after Georgia's young coach, Vince Dooley, beat Alabama's Bear Bryant in 1965.

He also has a framed photo of himself standing beside Pete Maravich in the Louisiana State locker room after Maravich scored 58 points in a double-overtime win at Georgia in 1969.

“Maybe it’s my demeanor that, you know, it’s an occasion,” Russo said. “And when you do these things, you've got to go ahead and do them. You can’t sit and think about them."

Russo isn't one to just sit. He still works six-day weeks at the fish market founded by his father in 1946. He says he wouldn't hesitate if he had another opportunity to leave the stands for an up-close view of history.

“Yes,” he said. “If the event called for it, yes I would.”

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FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron (44) breaks Babe Ruth's record for career home runs as he hits No. 715 off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing in the fourth inning of a baseball game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., April 8, 1974. Just in time for the 50-year anniversary of Hank Aaron's record 715th home run, Charlie Russo is making available video he shot of the homer. (AP Photo)

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron tips his hat to teammates greeting him at home plate after hitting his 715th career home run during a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta, Monday, April 8, 1974. Just in time for the 50-year anniversary of Hank Aaron's record 715th home run, Charlie Russo is making available video he shot of the homer. (AP Photo/Joe Sebo, File)

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron eyes the flight of the ball after hitting his 715th career homer in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta, Ga., Monday night, April 8, 1974. Aaron broke Babe Ruth's record of 714 career home runs. Dodgers southpaw pitcher Al Downing, catcher Joe Ferguson and umpire David Davidson look on. Just in time for the 50-year anniversary of Hank Aaron's record 715th home run, Charlie Russo is making available video he shot of the homer. (AP Photo/Harry Harris, File)

Charlie Russo speaks during an interview at his home Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. Russo had an unbelievable view of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. Fifty years later, he's ready to share it with the world. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Charlie Russo speaks at his home Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. Russo had an unbelievable view of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. Fifty years later, he's ready to share it with the world. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Charlie Russo speaks during an interview at his home Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. Russo had an unbelievable view of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. Fifty years later, he's ready to share it with the world. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Hank Aaron, top, is congratulated by teammates at home plate after hitting his 715th career home run in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta, Monday night, April 8, 1974. Just in time for the 50-year anniversary of Hank Aaron's record 715th home run, Charlie Russo is making available video he shot of the homer. (AP Photo/Charles Knoblock, File)

FILE - Hank Aaron holds aloft the ball he hit for his 715th career home run, against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta, Ga., Monday night, April 8, 1974. Just in time for the 50-year anniversary of Hank Aaron's record 715th home run, Charlie Russo is making available video he shot of the homer.(AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)

Charlie Russo describes how he shot home movie footage of Hank Aaron's record-breaking home run in 1974 during an interview at his home Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. Besides shooting the movie footage of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's home run record, he took the rosin bag and batting doughnut from the on-deck circle after sneaking onto the field. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Charlie Russo speaks during an interview at his home Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Savannah, Ga. Russo had an unbelievable view of Hank Aaron's record-breaking 715th home run. Fifty years later, he's ready to share it with the world. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday rejected calls from student protesters to change his approach to the war in Gaza while insisting that “order must prevail” as college campuses across the country face a wave of violence, outrage and fear.

“Dissent is essential for democracy,” Biden said at the White House. “But dissent must never lead to disorder.”

The Democratic president broke days of silence on the protests with his remarks, which followed mounting criticism from Republicans who have tried to turn scenes of unrest into a campaign cudgel. By focusing on a law-and-order message while defending the right to free speech, Biden is grasping for a middle ground on an intensely divisive issue in the middle of his reelection campaign.

He largely sidestepped protesters' demands, which have included ending U.S. support for Israeli military operations. Asked after his remarks whether the demonstrations would prompt him to consider changing course, Biden responded with a simple “no.”

Biden said that he did not want the National Guard to be deployed to campuses. Some Republicans have called for sending in troops, an idea with a fraught history. Four students were shot and killed at Kent State University by members of the Ohio National Guard during protests over the Vietnam War in 1970.

Tensions on college campuses have been building for days as demonstrators refuse to remove encampments and administrators turn to police to clear them by force, leading to clashes that have seized widespread attention.

Biden said he rejected efforts to use the situation to “score political points," calling the situation a “moment for clarity.”

“There's the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos,” Biden said shortly before leaving the White House for a trip to North Carolina. “People have the right to get an education, the right to get a degree, the right to walk across campus safely without fear of being attacked.”

Biden will make his own visit to a college campus on May 19 when he’s scheduled to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse University in Atlanta.

His last previous public comment on the demonstrations came more than a week ago, when he condemned “antisemitic protests” and “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

The White House, which has been peppered with questions by reporters, had gone only slightly further than the president. On Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden was “monitoring the situation closely" and that some demonstrations had stepped over a line that separated free speech from unlawful behavior.

“Forcibly taking over a building," such as what happened at Columbia University in New York, "is not peaceful," she said. "It’s just not.”

Biden's latest remarks weren't well received in some corners of the Democratic Party.

“We need to prevent lawlessness in society. We need to have protections against hate speech,” said a social media post from Patrick Gaspard, president of the Center for American Progress and a former White House political director under President Barack Obama. “But we need to be able to hold space for active dissent and activism that is discomforting without blanket accusations of hate and violence against all activists.”

But Biden's team has expressed confidence that his stance appeals to the widest array of voters. It also echoes his approach to nationwide unrest after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer four years ago, a politically volatile situation in the middle of his campaign against then-President Donald Trump.

“I want to make it absolutely clear rioting is not protesting, looting is not protesting,” Biden said then in remarks that his team turned into an advertisement. “It’s lawlessness, plain and simple, and those that do it should be prosecuted.”

Biden has never been much for protests of any kind. His career in elected office began as a county official when he was only 28 years old, and he’s always espoused the political importance of compromise.

As college campuses convulsed with anger over the Vietnam War in 1968, Biden was in law school at Syracuse University.

“I’m not big on flak jackets and tie-dyed shirts,” he said years later. “You know, that’s not me.″

Despite the White House criticism of violent college protests and Biden's refusal to heed demands to cut off U.S. support for Israel, Republicans blame Democrats for the disorder and have used it as a backdrop for press conferences.

“We need the president of the United States to speak to the issue and say this is wrong," House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said on Tuesday. "What’s happening on college campuses right now is wrong.”

Johnson visited Columbia University with other members of his caucus last week. House Republicans sparred verbally with protesters while speaking to the media at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Trump, who is running for another term as president, also criticized Biden in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.

“Biden has to do something,” he said. “Biden is supposed to be the voice of our country, and it’s certainly not much of a voice. It’s a voice that nobody’s heard.”

He repeated his criticisms on Wednesday during a campaign event in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

“The radical extremists and far-left agitators are terrorizing college campuses, as you possibly noticed," Trump said. “And Biden’s nowhere to be found. He hasn’t said anything."

Kate Berner, who served as deputy communications director for Biden’s campaign in 2020, said Republicans already had tried the same tactic during protests over Floyd's murder.

“People rejected that,” she said. “They saw that it was just fearmongering. They saw that it wasn’t based in reality.”

Apart from condemning antisemitism, the White House has been reluctant to directly engage on the issue.

Jean-Pierre repeatedly deflected questions during a briefing on Monday.

Asked whether protesters should be disciplined by their schools, she said “universities and colleges make their own decisions” and "we’re not going to weigh in from here.”

Pressed on whether police should be called in, she said “that's up to the colleges and universities.”

Asked on Thursday why Biden chose to speak on the matter after police had arrested protesters at the University of California, Los Angeles and at universities in New York City, Jean-Pierre stressed instead the importance of any protests being nonviolent.

“We’ve been very consistent here,” she said. “Americans have the right to peacefully protest as long as it’s within the law and violence is not protected.”

Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami and AP writer Colleen Long and White House Correspondent Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden departs after delivering remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden delivers remarks about student protests over the war in Gaza, from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

NYPD officers from the Strategic Response Group form a wall of protection around Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael Gerber and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kay Daughtry, not in the picture, during a press conference regarding the ongoing pro-Palestinians protest encampment at Columbia University in New York on Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

UCLA professor Nick Shapiro speaks at a news conference on the UCLA campus, after nighttime clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A pro Palestinians sign is shown on the UCLA campus, the morning after clashes between Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Pro-Palestine student activists face off with New York Police Department officers during a raid on Columbia University's campus at the request of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik on Tuesday evening, April 30, 2024 in New York. NYPD officers, including those from the police department's Strategic Response Group, arrested approximately 100 people as they dismantled encampments and removed individuals occupying Hamilton Hall. (Seyma Bayram via AP)

President Joe Biden attends the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)