Yankees legend and New Jersey native Yogi Berra will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.
Berra, along with fellow baseball legend Willie Mays, will be recognized by President Barack Obama at a Nov. 24 ceremony, along with the 15 other people named to the list.
Berra's granddaughter Lindsay Berra started a petition for him to get the medal.
"I think that it's very bittersweet news for my family. We really hoped that grandpa would be around to get the medal," she says, adding that she is also proud and hopes the medal will be able to live at the Yogi Berra museum in Montclair.
Berra passed away at the age of 90 in September.
Other people who will received the medal include director Steven Spielberg, NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson and the late Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.