Youngest FDNY firefighter killed on 9/11 honored with ESPN documentary
The Little League World Series (LLWS) has seen its players go on to play professionally in the MLB and even NFL and NHL. Despite this, only a single player’s number has been retired from the LLWS. Michael Cammarata, who played in the 1991 LLWS, went on to become a New York City firefighter. He was the youngest of the 343 firefighters who were killed on 9/11.
To observe the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks and celebrate Cammarata’s life, ESPN’s E60 released “Living On: The Michael Cammarata Story” at the start of the 2026 LLWS on August 19, 2026. Now available to stream on the ESPN app, the 30-minute documentary covers Cammarata’s life from his Staten Island Little League team to Ground Zero.
In 1991, 12-year-old Cammarata was the starting right fielder for his Staten Island team in the South Shore American Little League. The New Yorkers defeated the Ohio team from the Westside American Little League 8-0. However, they were sent home in the semi-finals.
Despite his success in baseball, Cammarata was scouted by the Wagner College Hockey Club on Staten Island. In 1996, he was named Rookie of the Year. The next year, as a sophomore, he became the youngest player to be named MVP in the school’s history. Cammarata led Wagner to back-to-back Metropolitan Collegiate Conference Championships in 1997 and 1998.
In 1999, Cammarata left college to work with his father in the building industry. Pursuing his childhood dream of becoming a firefighter, Cammarata applied to the FDNY with a perfect score of 105 on the New York Fireman’s Test. He was sworn in on May 3, 2001 and began his training.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Cammarata was a probationary firefighter with Ladder Company 11. Awaiting graduation from the Fire Academy and permanent assignment to the company, Cammarata had the honor of carrying on the shield number that his uncle had for 33 years: No. 1138.
At 8:54 AM, eight minutes after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, Cammarata left a message on his father’s voicemail. “I am going to the World Trade Center, a plane just hit it,” he said. “Just tell everyone I am all right.”
Cammarata was lost in the Marriott World Trade Center, also known as World Trade Center 3, located between the Twin Towers.
In his drawer, Cammarata left behind a letter in case he didn’t come back from a call. It read:
“1 – Take care of Jenna (his girlfriend). 2 – Don’t mourn me this is the career I chose. 3 – Make my spirit live on. 4 – Remember I love you all and will be waiting for you upstairs. Signed Michael Cammarata Shield #1138.”
While Cammarata went on to serve in the FDNY, two of his teammates made it to the MLB: pitcher Jason Marquis and catcher Brian Esposito. Marquis is featured in “Living On” along with Cammarata’s FDNY teammate, Frank Campagna.
Just before the start of the 2002 LLWS, Cammarata’s uniform number 11 was officially retired to honor his sacrifice on 9/11. That year, he was also inducted into the LLWS Hall of Excellence, the first firefighter to receive the honor. During the 2026 LLWS, “Living On” was re-aired ahead of LLWS pregame coverage.
In addition to the ESPN app, “Living On” is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu with the required subscription bundle. It can also be viewed on Sling TV.
Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty
• 9/11 hero Welles Crowther to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom • How the last survivor of 9/11 made it out alive after the Twin Towers fell • This 9/11 memorial is closed to the public. Be thankful you can’t visit it.
‘The Fix’ is an action movie for the post-War on Terror world
A Marine Corps veteran once weighed 424 pounds. Now he is completing triathlons
The worst and best college football traditions in America
Movies and TV
The controversy around ‘Lanterns’ is real—and makes for a better show
7 military lessons that made Roger Staubach a Hall of Fame football player
