Part of Pete Rose’s greatness lies in his amazingly competitive spirit. Even among other future Hall of Famers like Jonhny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez, he wanted to stand out. At one point he had a 44-game hitting streak, tying the league record. When he was struck out for the last time by an Atlanta Braves pitcher, snapping the streak, he complained that he would have gotten a more hittable pitch by a more sympathetic pitcher. But that same competitiveness that served him so well as a player was his undoing as a coach, as Rose began betting on baseball games — including those involving his own team.

On this day, February 4, 1989, Pete Rose was officially declared ineligible for the inclusion to the Hall of Fame. The move by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America came at the same time as Sports Illustrated published accounts of his gambling activity.

Under the BWAA rules, Rose could apply for reinstatement after 15 years. In 2004, just as that term was coming to a close, Rose released an autobiography, which admitted for the first time he did indeed bet on games. Rose’s critics, and even some supporters, found the timing suspicious, suggesting that it was his attempt to get himself reinstated. However, in 2009, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said there were no plans to reinstate Pete Rose’s eligibility.