From the moment he stepped on the field for the first time in 1953 right up through last season when he would drop by the ballpark with that big smile and little-kid enthusiasm, Ernie Banks enjoyed a love affair with Wrigley Field and its fans unlike any other in baseball.

He was Mr. Cub and no other player in franchise history or in the clubs future will ever be adored in the same way.

Theres sunshine, fresh air, and the teams behind us, Banks said during his Hall of Fame induction speed in 1977. Lets play two!

It was Banks famous rallying call and it made you want to come out to Wrigley Field no matter how much the Cubs were struggling. In a fan poll staged by the Chicago Sun-Times during that glorious and frustrating 1969 season, Banks was voted the Greatest Cub Ever and there has never been one argument about it since. Banks diedFridayin Chicago, according to Mark Bogen, who represents the Banks family. Banks wife, Liz, will hold a news conference at noon Sunday.

He would have been 84on Saturday. The baseball world lost one of its biggest boosters.

I just remember Ernie was never in a bad mood, former Cubs manager Dusty Baker said in 2013.

In November of that year, President Obama presented Banks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest honor for a civilian. Banks was beaming more than usual during a ceremony that August at Wrigley Field honoring him.

Is this a great country or what? Banks said before a pregame ceremony at Wrigley to celebrate his latest honor. [The award] just means life is just wonderful, [that] when you do things and try to help people and share things, it really comes back to you. Its almost like the Nobel Peace Prize to me.

Banks, a former star in the Negro Leagues, came to the Cubs after being signed by former scout Buck ONeil. Banks became the first black player in Cubs history and made a quick impression, hitting .314 with a double, triple, two home runs and 6 RBI in 10 games during a brief stint in 1953. The next season, the baseball world took notice. Banks started all 154 games at shortstop in 1954 and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.

The next season, he hit 44 home runs, setting a major-league record for shortstops. When his career ended in 1971, he had 512 home runs, 2,583 hits, 1,636 RBI and 11 All-Star appearances. But he never made one trip to the postseason.

He was born in Dallas in 1931, one of 11 children, but Chicago will always been known as his home.

Leo Durocher, the Hall of Famer and former Cubs manager, was famous for stressing that Nice guys finish last. But Durocher, who managed Banks from 1966-71, made one exception to that rule.

Banks is one nice guy who finished first, Durocher once said.

Current Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper, who often spotted Banks at Wrigley Field in recent years, tweeted: My heart is hurting. Ernie Banks was true gentleman. Loved him as friend & admired him as HOF player & ambassador for MLB & Cubs. Mr Cub RIP.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/baseball/7/71/316995/cubs-hall-famer-ernie-banks-dead-83