"[31] Also while at PJC, he was elected to the Lancers, a student-run police organization responsible for patrolling various school activities. Robinson withdrew from UCLA in his third year to help his mother care for the family. Following his retirement from baseball in 1957, Robinson often appeared with Martin Luther King at rallies, fundraising events, and demonstrations. Robinson was reluctant to testify, but he eventually agreed to do so, fearing it might negatively affect his career if he declined. Jackie Robinson became the first African American to appear in a modern big league baseball game on April 15, 1947. [157] The year saw the release of a film biography of Robinson's life, The Jackie Robinson Story, in which Robinson played himself,[169] and actress Ruby Dee played Rachel "Rae" (Isum) Robinson. [147] Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to Robinson's defense with the famous line, "You can hate a man for many reasons. [309] The stadium also unveiled a new mural of Robinson by Mike Sullivan on April 14, 2013. [317][318] Robinson also has an asteroid named after him, 4319 Jackierobinson. [320] That same year, New York City renamed the Interboro Parkway in his honor. [32], An incident at PJC illustrated Robinson's impatience with authority figures he perceived as racist—a character trait that would resurface repeatedly in his life. [195], Robinson protested against the major leagues' ongoing lack of minority managers and central office personnel, and he turned down an invitation to appear in an old-timers' game at Yankee Stadium in 1969. "[225] Robinson retired from baseball at age 37 on January 5, 1957. "[198], Beginning his major league career at the relatively advanced age of 28, he played only ten seasons from 1947 to 1956, all of them for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was a shortstop and leadoff hitter for the baseball team, and he broke school broad-jump records held by his brother Mack. On October 24, 1972, Robinson died of a heart attack at his home on 95 Cascade Road in North Stamford, Connecticut; he was 53 years old. 1990. [158] His salary that year was the highest any Dodger had been paid to that point: $35,000[167] ($371,929 in 2019 dollars[168]). Like the rest of society, the army was also segregated by race. [24], In 1936, Robinson won the junior boys singles championship in the annual Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament and earned a place on the Pomona annual baseball tournament all-star team, which included future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon. [14][15][16], The extended Robinson family established itself on a residential plot containing two small houses at 121 Pepper Street in Pasadena. I think that's one of the reasons why Josh died so early—he was heartbroken. "[184] The 1952 season was the last year Robinson was an everyday starter at second base. Jackie Robinson is drafted into the U.S. Army In 1942, Jackie Robinson was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in World War II, during his tour in the Army he earned the rank Second Lieutenant. [292] After Griffey received her permission, Commissioner Bud Selig not only allowed Griffey to wear the number, but also extended an invitation to all major league teams to do the same. Having the requisite qualifications, Robinson and several other black soldiers applied for admission to an Officer Candidate School (OCS) then located at Fort Riley. [33] Robinson received a two-year suspended sentence, but the incident—along with other rumored run-ins between Robinson and police—gave Robinson a reputation for combativeness in the face of racial antagonism. [303], Since 2004, the Aflac National High School Baseball Player of the Year has been presented the "Jackie Robinson Award". [272] In 1999, he was named by Time on its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Although Sandel induced Robinson to ground out at his first at bat, Robinson ended up with four hits in his five trips to the plate; his first hit was a three-run home run in the game's third inning. [85] He left the tryout humiliated,[82] and more than 14 years later, in July 1959, the Red Sox became the last major league team to integrate its roster. Family sources cite financial concerns. After OCS some of us were assigned to the provisional truck battalion at another section of Fort Riley, and I was made morale office. Upon entering the "white league," Robinson found comfort in befriending Pittsburgh Pirate Hank Greenberg, the first Major League Jewish baseball star, who also had experienced bigotry. Karl Downs) to attend church on a regular basis, and Downs became a confidant for Robinson, a Christian. [297] It honors Robinson with large quotations spanning the inner curve of the facade and features a large freestanding statue of his number, 42, which has become an attraction in itself. Robinson led the league in sacrifice hits, with 28, and in stolen bases, with 29. The incident, however, presaged Robinson’s future activism and commitment to civil rights. On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform, No. [124][125] Whether fans supported or opposed it, Robinson's presence on the field was a boon to attendance; more than one million people went to games involving Robinson in 1946, an astounding figure by International League standards. [49][51] After a short season, Robinson returned to California in December 1941 to pursue a career as running back for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Football League. [156] Robinson had a batting average of .296 and 22 stolen bases for the season. Jesse Jackson gave the eulogy. [232] He was elected on the first ballot, becoming the first black player inducted into the Cooperstown museum. [3] Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.[4]. He was hounorably discharged in 1944 for an injured ankle. The year after his birth his family moved to Pasadena, California. Withstanding the racial segregation prevalent during his time, Robinson proved to the world that the spirit of a game has nothing to do … Jackie only played for the Montreal royals for one year. 42, alongside Roy Campanella's No. [49], In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas. [88] Baseball fans also voted Robinson as the starting second baseman for the 1949 All-Star Game—the first All-Star Game to include black players. Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was the first African-American Major League Baseball (MLB) player of modern times. After baseball, Robinson became active in business and continued his work as an activist for social change. Out of the 10 years that Jackie Robinson played baseball, six of them were spent leading the Dodgers into the World Series and was a six-time All-Star. Jackie Robinson in the U.S. Army. [122] Robinson proceeded to lead the International League that season with a .349 batting average and .985 fielding percentage,[22] and he was named the league's Most Valuable Player. [174] Rickey shortly thereafter became general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully later noted that the incident showed "how much of a competitor Robinson was. He had grown used to a structured playing environment in college, and the Negro leagues' disorganization and embrace of gambling interests appalled him. [61][62][63] Robinson refused. He was then court marshaled, but later acquitted (African American Biographies 106). 300. [54] After protests by heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis (then stationed at Fort Riley) and with the help of Truman Gibson (then an assistant civilian aide to the Secretary of War),[55] the men were accepted into OCS. Robinson portrayed himself in the 1950 motion picture The Jackie Robinson Story. Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in ‘Major League Baseball,’ is one of the most inspirational and towering figures of the 20th century. [25] In late January 1937, the Pasadena Star-News newspaper reported that Robinson "for two years has been the outstanding athlete at Muir, starring in football, basketball, track, baseball and tennis. [244] After supporting Richard Nixon in his 1960 presidential race against John F. Kennedy, Robinson later praised Kennedy effusively for his stance on civil rights. Robinson's continued success spawned a string of death threats. In 1947, Robinson was named Rookie of the Year, and by 1949, he had received the Most Valuable Player award for the National League. In the mid-1940s, Branch Rickey, club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, began to scout the Negro leagues for a possible addition to the Dodgers' roster. [201] Robinson exhibited the combination of hitting ability and speed which exemplified the new era. Post-Major League Baseball [195], Robinson's major league debut brought an end to approximately sixty years of segregation in professional baseball, known as the baseball color line. Sportswriter Wendell Smith, who worked for an African American newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier, had been advocating for the integration of major league baseball years before Jackie joined the major leagues. Still, fame did not dismiss one from the draft. [310][311] A number of facilities at Pasadena City College (successor to PJC) are named in Robinson's honor, including Robinson Field, a football/soccer/track facility named jointly for Robinson and his brother Mack. [231], In his first year of eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962,[68] Robinson encouraged voters to consider only his on-field qualifications, rather than his cultural impact on the game. [275] Baseball writer Bill James, in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, ranked Robinson as the 32nd greatest player of all time strictly on the basis of his performance on the field, noting that he was one of the top players in the league throughout his career. Robinson's struggle for equality began in the Army, before he integrated baseball. [224], Robinson once told future Hall of Fame inductee Hank Aaron that "the game of baseball is great, but the greatest thing is what you do after your career is over. [240] In 1970, Robinson established the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build housing for low-income families. [170] The project had been previously delayed when the film's producers refused to accede to demands of two Hollywood studios that the movie include scenes of Robinson being tutored in baseball by a white man. [156], Summer 1949 brought an unwanted distraction for Robinson. Baseball. [285] This affected players such as the Mets' Butch Huskey and Boston's Mo Vaughn. The price was the highest ever paid for a post-World War II jersey. Do you know what Jackie… [69] While there, Robinson met a former player for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League, who encouraged Robinson to write the Monarchs and ask for a tryout. [131] Black fans began flocking to see the Dodgers when they came to town, abandoning their Negro league teams. [238] President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded Robinson the Presidential Medal of Freedom on March 26, 1984,[305] and on March 2, 2005, President George W. Bush gave Robinson's widow the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress; Robinson was only the second baseball player to receive the award, after Roberto Clemente. [158] He also kept the Dodgers in contention for the 1951 pennant. Jackie Robinson: American Hero The game of baseball evolved immensely during the 1900’s. [238] Switching his allegiance to the Democrats, he subsequently supported Hubert Humphrey against Nixon in 1968. Sources point to various reasons for Robinson's departure from UCLA. [232] In 2009, all of MLB's uniformed personnel (including players) wore number 42 on April 15; this tradition has continued every year since on that date. [93] Among those with whom Rickey discussed prospects was Wendell Smith, writer for the black weekly Pittsburgh Courier, who, according to Cleveland Indians owner and team president Bill Veeck, "influenced Rickey to take Jack Robinson, for which he's never completely gotten credit. [157][199][202] Robinson was one of only two players during the span of 1947–56 to accumulate at least 125 steals while registering a slugging percentage over .425 (Minnie Miñoso was the other). 1952). In 1962, Robinson became the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. After playing one year for the Kansas team, he played his first Major League Baseball game with the Montreal Royals. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the military police, who took Robinson into custody. Second lieutenant On April 3, 1942, Jackie Robinson was inducted into the U.S. Army during World War II. [306] On August 20, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, announced that Robinson was inducted into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento. After college, Robinson went to play professional football, but his career came to a quick end with the start of World War II. That September, he signed with Chet Brewer's Kansas City Royals, a post-season barnstorming team in the California Winter League. [70] Robinson took the former player's advice and wrote to Monarchs co-owner Thomas Baird. While what happened to Robinson was not unique, the outcome of the conflict was unusual. Jackie Robinson and Dodgers President Branch Rickey shake hands after Robinson signs a 1948 contract. He was ultimately acquitted. [294][295] On June 25, 2008, MLB installed a new plaque for Robinson at the Baseball Hall of Fame commemorating his off-the-field impact on the game as well as his playing statistics. ", "Document Deep Dive: The Heartfelt Friendship Between Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey", "Jackie Robinson and baseball highlights, 1860s–1960s", "It's Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday. Excerpt with permission taken from I Never Had It Made, An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson, 1972:. [139] The Cardinals players denied that they were planning to strike, and Woodward later told author Roger Kahn that Frick was his true source; writer Warren Corbett said that Frick's speech "never happened". [199] During his career, the Dodgers played in six World Series, and Robinson himself played in six All-Star Games. In a letter read during the ceremony, Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, wrote: "I remember Montreal and that house very well and have always had warm feeling for that great city. That season, the Dodgers' Don Newcombe became the first black major league pitcher to win twenty games in a year. In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas. When he retired in 1957, Robinson took on a role as a businessman, and subsequently also as a player in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. [207] He led the league in fielding among second basemen in 1950 and 1951. 1 Most Significant Development in the 20th Century", "By The Numbers – Robinson Was All-Around Player", "Jackie Robinson and the Great American Pastime", "Review/Theater; 'Play to Win,' a Musical About the Integration of Baseball", "The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson: Overview", "The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)", "TELEVISION REVIEW: Across the Color Line With Satchel Paige", "Review: Ken Burns' 'Jackie Robinson' documentary is a lump-in-the-throat trip that goes beyond baseball", "Jan. 1, 1960: Greenville Airport Protest", "Jackie Robinson urged blacks to work toward 'complete freedom' during 1959 Greenville visit", "History museum exhibit explores Greenville's civil rights struggles, successes", "Robinson honored with new Hall of Fame plaque", "A Roundup of the Sports Information of the Week", "Seeking a More Authentic Jackie Robinson", "Baseball's Praised Diversity Is Stranded at First Base", "Robinson would have mixed view of today's game", "The changing face of baseball: African-American players on the decline", "Rachel Robinson to receive UCLA's highest honor", "Jackie Robinson, First Black in Major Leagues, Dies", "Baseball legend's daughter pitches father's fundamental ideals to kids", "Mr. Coffee: How a Baseball Scion Put Down Roots in Africa, and Grew a Very Rich Blend", "David Robinson - Jackie Robinson Foundation", "African-American Subjects on United States Postage Stamps", "Bronze Busts Unveiled in Tribute to Robinson Brothers", "A Grand Tribute to Robinson and His Moment", "MLB ready to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day", "The final '42': Rivera pays tribute to Jackie Robinson", "Sharon Robinson: honor Clemente some other way", "A measure of respect for Jackie Robinson turns into a movement", "Baseball; Special Day Honors Jackie Robinson", "Ken Griffey Jr. on Jackie Robinson and the decline of African-Americans in baseball", "Griffey, Jr., others to wear No. What sports did Jackie Robinson play in … On a public bus, Robinson refused to move to the back when ordered to do so by a commanding officer. Jackie Robinson batted .311 for his 10-year career. He was the first black man to openly play in the major leagues since the 1880s. There was freedom, but the right to vote was almost completely denied to to African-Americans. [46] He played football as a senior, but the 1940 Bruins won only one game. 39, and Sandy Koufax's No. [190] Robinson, then 36 years old,[191] missed 49 games and did not play in Game 7 of the World Series. [238] He also served as the bank's first chairman of the board. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men. Withstanding the racial segregation prevalent during his time, Robinson proved to the world that the spirit of a game has nothing to do … He was also a member of the tennis team. [262], Robinson did not long outlive his son. 300. [71], After his discharge, Robinson briefly returned to his old football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. [12][13] After Robinson's father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California. [33][59], An event on July 6, 1944, derailed Robinson's military career. While Robinson wore several different numbers during his UCLA career, the school chose 42 because it had become indelibly identified with him. 42, officially making the 15th of April Jackie Robinson Day, in honor of his April 15, 1947, debut game. [280] In 1997, a $325,000 bronze sculpture (equal to $517,615 today) by artists Ralph Helmick, Stu Schecter, and John Outterbridge depicting oversized nine-foot busts of Robinson and his brother Mack was erected at Garfield Avenue, across from the main entrance of Pasadena City Hall; a granite footprint lists multiple donors to the commission project, which was organized by the Robinson Memorial Foundation and supported by members of the Robinson family. [267] Robinson's daughter, Sharon, became a midwife, educator, director of educational programming for MLB, and the author of two books about her father. [41][42] They went undefeated with four ties at 6–0–4. [162] Sisler taught Robinson to anticipate a fastball, on the theory that it is easier to subsequently adjust to a slower curveball. MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, "Jackie Robinson Day", for the first time on April 15, 2004, on which every player on every team wears No. [304], Robinson has also been recognized outside of baseball. The people were so welcoming and saw Jack as a player and as a man. What award did Jackie Robinson get? [161], In the spring of 1949, Robinson turned to Hall of Famer George Sisler, working as an advisor to the Dodgers, for batting help. [81], During the season, Robinson pursued potential major league interests.
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