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Don Baylor, the first manager in Colorado Rockies history, a man respected throughout baseball for his dignity, courage and intensity, died Monday after a long struggle with multiple myeloma. He was 68.

“Don Baylor, like no other man I ever knew, had this aura about him,” said Walt Weiss, the former Rockies manager and shortstop who played for Baylor in Colorado. “Hearing about his death today was a punch in the gut.”

Todd Helton, the Rockies’ first baseman who began his career under Baylor, said: “He was the first guy who ever gave me a chance in the big leagues. He was a class act. I never, ever, heard a bad word about him.

“I was very impressionable as a rookie, and every time he had to sit me down, not play me, he would explain why. He didn’t have to do that. And what really set him apart was that he genuinely cared about his players. He talked to you about a lot of stuff, not just baseball.”

Baylor returned to Colorado in 2009 to serve as the club’s hitting coach.

Rockies owner Dick Monfort issued a statement Monday afternoon that read:

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Becky and the entire Baylor family. Don was instrumental in the creation of the Rockies and in his two stints with the club, he left an impact on each and every one of us. He was a big man with an even bigger heart, a friend of so many. His persona will be a part of our club heritage forever.聽 This is a sad day in Colorado and for all of baseball.”聽

Baylor was a stoic manager, but he had an intense fire burning below the surface. He was that way as a player, too.

Over a productive 19-year, big-league career Baylor played for the Orioles, Athletics, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox聽and聽Twins. He was an all-star and won the AL MVP with the Angels in 1979, when he led the majors in RBIs (139) and runs (120).

“Don passed from this earth with the same fierce dignity with which he played the game and lived his life,” his wife, Rebecca, said in statement.

Baylor, affectionately known as “Groove,” managed the Rockies for six seasons, compiling a 440-469 record. He was at the helm in their inaugural season of 1993, going 67-95. He also guided the Rockies to their first playoff appearance in 1995 when they won the NL wild card with a 77-67 record. That season, he was named the NL manager of the year.

Baylor is one of just four men, along with Frank Robinson, Joe Torre and Kirk Gibson, to win both an MVP and manager-of-the-year award.聽Baylor also managed the Cubs聽from 2000 to 2002.聽In all, Baylor wore the uniforms of 14 major-league teams as either a player, coach or manager.

鈥淒on used power and speed to earn American League MVP honors with the Angels in 1979 and contributed to three straight pennant winners in a great 19-year major-league career,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “He then became the first manager in Rockies history, guiding them to their first postseason in just their third year of play.聽 Throughout stints with 14 different major-league teams as a player, coach or manager, Don鈥檚 reputation as a gentleman always preceded him.”

Bob Gebhard, the Rockies’ first general manager, knew he needed someone special to captain an expansion franchise. He found that man in Baylor, even though Baylor had never managed.

“Don was the hitting coach in St. Louis when I interviewed him,” Gebhard recalled. “I talked to him in the lobby of a hotel in St. Louis and he went right to the top of my list. I could tell, instantly, that there was a lot of fire there. The longer we talked, the more I knew he was the guy.”

Former Rockies slugger Dante Bichette said Baylor was the best manager he ever played for, adding, “he’s a man I owe a lot to.”

“Don was my guy, the guy who gave me an opportunity, and I loved him for it,” Bichette said. “In 2015, when we had our 20th anniversary celebration of the ’95 playoff team, I wanted him to make sure that I really, really, cared about the guy. I made sure and told him.”

As a player, Baylor reached World Series three consecutive times at the end of his career from 1986 to 1988, winning a title with the Twins in 1987.

He had an impressive big-league career, batting .260 with聽338 home runs and 1,276 RBIs. His toughness became legendary. 聽He was hit by pitches 267 times and led the majors seven times in that category.

Baylor was one of the first children to integrate the public schools of Austin, Texas, in the late 1950s. An excellent all-around athlete he turned down a football scholarship from the University of Texas to play professional baseball. Had he accepted the scholarship, he would have been the first African-American athlete to play football at the university.

Growing up Baylor encountered overt racism at O. Henry Junior High in Austin, and he stood up for himself in an era when that was challenging for a black youth in Texas.

“One guy said the ‘N’ word to me,” Baylor recalled in a “I ran through the gymnasium and tackled him on the auditorium stage. A bunch of kids ended up breaking it up, but that was the last time that guy called me that. And they all knew I was not going to take anything like that.”

Baylor was diagnosed with multiple myeloma 14 years ago, according to his family. He partnered with former Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyre to increase awareness and promote research into the disease.

Photos: Don Baylor through the years