[243][246], Robinson was active in politics throughout his post-baseball life. [3] When the Dodgers signed Robinson, it heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball that had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s. [302] Ultimately, more than 200 players wore number 42, including the entire rosters of the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. [136] After World War II, several other forces were also leading the country toward increased equality for blacks, including their accelerated migration to the North, where their political clout grew, and President Harry Truman's desegregation of the military in 1948. "[202] According to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Robinson's "efforts were a monumental step in the civil-rights revolution in America [His] accomplishments allowed black and white Americans to be more respectful and open to one another and more appreciative of everyone's abilities. "[151], However, Robinson received significant encouragement from several major league players. He had 175 hits (scoring 125 runs) including 31 doubles, 5 triples, and 12 home runs, driving in 48 runs for the year. He was the youngest of five children born to Mallie (McGriff) and Jerry Robinson, after siblings Edgar, Frank, Matthew (nicknamed "Mack"), and Willa Mae. During the last game of the regular season, in the 13th inning, he had a hit to tie the game and then hit a home run in the 14th inning, which proved to be the winning margin. [320][321] 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. [239][240] In 1972, he served as a part-time commentator on Montreal Expos telecasts. [93] For the performance Robinson earned the Most Valuable Player Award for the National League. [76], After his discharge, Robinson briefly returned to his old football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. He believed that everything unpleasant that happened to him happened because of his blackness. [9][93] In a famous three-hour exchange on August 28, 1945,[94] Rickey asked Robinson if he could face the racial animus without taking the bait and reacting angrilya concern given Robinson's prior arguments with law enforcement officials at PJC and in the military. [93][267] Robinson's funeral service on October 27, 1972, at Upper Manhattan's Riverside Church in Morningside Heights, attracted 2,500 mourners. 1. From gang member to world-famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson helped break down barriers for African American athletes, proving that they can not only compete, but excel, in a variety of sports. [252] He later became special assistant for community affairs when Rockefeller was re-elected governor of New York in 1966 and in 1971 was appointed to the New York State Athletic Commission by Rockefeller. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York. [301] 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. [322] The New York Public School system has named a middle school after Robinson,[323] and Dorsey High School plays at a Los Angeles football stadium named after him. [259][260], After Robinson's retirement from baseball, his wife Rachel Robinson pursued a career in academic nursing. In 1987, both the National and American League Rookie of the Year Awards were renamed the "Jackie Robinson Award" in honor of the first recipient (Robinson's Major League Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 encompassed both leagues). Jackie Robinson died in 1972, a year after Jackie Jr. died. At one time, he received a seven-inch gash in his leg from Enos Slaughter. Airport police asked Robinson to leave, but he refused. Robinson's mother worked various odd jobs to support the family. [125] Pitching against Robinson was Warren Sandel who had played against him when they both lived in California. [187] He finished the year with 104 runs, a .308 batting average, and 24 stolen bases. "[153] Regarding Robinson's qualities on the field, Leo Durocher said, "Ya want a guy that comes to play. I'm the manager of this team, and I say he plays. Jackie Robinson was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1962. "[153] In 1947 or 1948, Reese is said to have put his arm around Robinson in response to fans who shouted racial slurs at Robinson before a game in Boston or Cincinnati. - IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders Family (1) Spouse [73], After his acquittal, he was transferred to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky, where he served as a coach for army athletics until receiving an honorable discharge in November 1944. Sources point to various reasons for Robinson's departure from UCLA. [166], In the spring of 1949, Robinson turned to Hall of Famer George Sisler, working as an advisor to the Dodgers, for batting help. [238] In 1966, Robinson was hired as general manager for the short-lived Brooklyn Dodgers of the Continental Football League. [56] Having the requisite qualifications, Robinson and several other black soldiers applied for admission to an Officer Candidate School (OCS) then located at Fort Riley. [312] The New York Yankees honor Robinson with a plaque in Monument Park. [167] The tutelage helped Robinson raise his batting average from .296 in 1948 to .342 in 1949. Robinson named Lee "Jeep" Handley, who played for the Phillies at the time, as the first opposing player to wish him well. [167] Sisler taught Robinson to anticipate a fastball, on the theory that it is easier to subsequently adjust to a slower curveball. [313], Since 2004, the Aflac National High School Baseball Player of the Year has been presented the "Jackie Robinson Award". [55] Robinson then accepted an offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. Also Known As. Died. [176] The New York Times wrote that Robinson, "doing that rare thing of playing himself in the picture's leading role, displays a calm assurance and composure that might be envied by many a Hollywood star. [206] Robinson exhibited the combination of hitting ability and speed which exemplified the new era. He was the youngest of five children. He was the first black man to openly play in the major leagues since the 1880s. Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully later noted that the incident showed "how much of a competitor Robinson was. [13][14] After Robinson's father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California. [113][114][115] Since the Dodgers organization did not own a spring training facility,[116] scheduling was subject to the whim of area localities, several of which turned down any event involving Robinson or Johnny Wright, another black player whom Rickey had signed to the Dodgers' organization in January. What's more, I say he can make us all rich. [291][292] On April 15, 1997, Robinson's jersey number, 42, was retired throughout Major League Baseball, the first time any jersey number had been retired throughout one of the four major American sports leagues. [4] Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.[5]. [276] His youngest son, David, who has ten children, is a coffee grower and social activist in Tanzania. [213][214] Toward the end of his career, he played about 2,000 innings at third base and about 1,175 innings in the outfield, excelling at both. [211] After playing his rookie season at first base,[93] Robinson spent most of his career as a second baseman. [104] He was not necessarily the best player in the Negro leagues,[105] and black talents Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson were upset when Robinson was selected first. [250] Robinson was angered by the 1964 presidential election candidacy of conservative Republican Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, who had opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. [2] Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. [241], On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number, 42, alongside those of Roy Campanella (39) and Sandy Koufax (32). [249] After supporting Richard Nixon in his 1960 presidential race against John F. Kennedy, Robinson later praised Kennedy effusively for his stance on civil rights. [262] She and Jackie had three children: Jackie Robinson Jr. (19461971), Sharon Robinson (b. Jack had 16 grandchildren and as of 2014, he had 2 great-grandchildren. 1952). [158], Robinson finished the season having played in 151 games for the Dodgers, with a batting average of .297, an on-base percentage of .383, and a .427 slugging percentage. [152] Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to Robinson's defense with the famous line, "You can hate a man for many reasons. 6 to be retired across NBA following legend's death last month", "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. [22] Recognizing his athletic talents, Robinson's older brothers Mack (himself an accomplished athlete and silver medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics)[21] and Frank inspired Jackie to pursue his interest in sports. [160], Following Stanky's trade to the Boston Braves in March 1948, Robinson took over second base, where he logged a .980 fielding percentage that year (second in the National League at the position, fractionally behind Stanky). [10][11][12] His middle name was in honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt, who died 25 days before Robinson was born. "[307][308][309] The museum opened in 2023. [119][120] In DeLand, a scheduled day game was postponed, ostensibly because of issues with the stadium's electrical lighting. Mets owner Fred Wilpon announced that the Metsin conjunction with Citigroup and the Jackie Robinson Foundationwill created the Jackie Robinson Museum and Learning Center, located at the headquarters of the Jackie Robinson Foundation at One Hudson Square, along Canal Street in lower Manhattan. [270][272] Tens of thousands of people lined the subsequent procession route to Robinson's interment site at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, where he was buried next to his son Jackie and mother-in-law Zellee Isum. [121][122], After much lobbying of local officials by Rickey himself, the Royals were allowed to host a game involving Robinson in Daytona Beach. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born near Cairo, Georgia in 1919, the son of sharecroppers and the grandson of enslaved workers. Born. [310][311] At Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, a statue of Robinson was introduced in 2017. The trade, however, was never completed; unbeknownst to the Dodgers, Robinson had already agreed with the president of Chock full o'Nuts to quit baseball and become an executive with the company. [277][278][279], According to a poll conducted in 1947, Robinson was the second most popular man in the country, behind Bing Crosby. After his death, his wife established the 'Jackie Robinson Foundation' in 1973 with the aim of providing scholarships for higher education to minority youths. I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me all I ask is that you respect me as a human being. City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida was renamed Jackie Robinson Ballpark in 1990 and a statue of Robinson with two children stands in front of the ballpark. [106], Robinson's promotion met a generally positive, although mixed, reception among newspapers and white major league players. [86], During the season, Robinson pursued potential major league interests. [85] He also appeared in the 1945 EastWest All-Star Game, going hitless in five at-bats. [175] 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. Having no other choice, Mallie moved the family to Pasadena, to live with her brother. [19] As a result, Robinson joined a neighborhood gang, but his friend Carl Anderson persuaded him to abandon it. Color is not one of them. Those who do it will encounter quick retribution. The following January, approximately 1,000 people marched on New Year's Day to the airport,[234][235] which was desegregated shortly thereafter. [237] He was elected on the first ballot, becoming the first black player inducted into the Cooperstown museum. [162] In a 127 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29, 1948, he hit for the cyclea home run, a triple, a double, and a single in the same game. 42 as part of Jackie Robinson Day tribute", "MLB players to wear #42 Monday to honor Jackie Robinson Day", "Jackie Robinson Rotunda dedicated at Citi Field", "Jackie Robinson Museum opens in Manhattan", "Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation extends partnership with The Jackie Robinson Foundation through $800,000 grant for college scholarships", "Jackie Robinson statue unveiled at Dodger Stadium", "The 2010 Aflac National High School Player of The Year Nominees Announced", Baseball awards#U.S. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men. Although the team enjoyed ultimate success, 1955 was the worst year of Robinson's individual career. [319] The stadium also unveiled a new mural of Robinson by Mike Sullivan on April 14, 2013. [148] On April 22, 1947, during a game between the Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies players and manager Ben Chapman called Robinson a "nigger" from their dugout and yelled that he should "go back to the cotton fields". [52][110][111], In 1946, Robinson arrived at Daytona Beach, Florida, for spring training with the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League. [89] Even with the stands limited to management, Robinson was subjected to racial epithets. [52][54] 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. [66][67][68] Robinson refused. Jesse Simms, the grandson of Jackie Robinson, is carrying on his family's legacy through Minor League Baseball. [288] In 1997, a $325,000 bronze sculpture (equal to $548,606 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. "[177], Robinson's Hollywood exploits, however, did not sit well with Dodgers co-owner Walter O'Malley, who referred to Robinson as "Rickey's prima donna". [26] 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. He come to stuff the goddamn bat right up your ass."[215]. [161], Summer 1949 brought an unwanted distraction for Robinson. [244] Robinson also chaired the NAACP's million-dollar Freedom Fund Drive in 1957, and served on the organization's board until 1967. Explore 11 little-known facts about the man who integrated baseball. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [274] On April 15, 2008, she announced that in 2010 the foundation would open a museum devoted to Jackie in Lower Manhattan. 42 in honor of the player who broke baseball's color barrier . [195] Robinson, then 36 years old,[196] missed 49 games and did not play in Game 7 of the World Series. Robinson was born on January 31, 1919. [167] In addition to his improved batting average, Robinson stole 37 bases that season, was second place in the league for both doubles and triples, and registered 124 runs batted in with 122 runs scored. Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, had three children: Jackie Jr., Sharon and David. [66] Robinson was acquitted by an all-white panel of nine officers. The UCLA Bruins baseball team plays in Jackie Robinson Stadium,[318] which, because of the efforts of Jackie's brother Mack, features a memorial statue of Robinson by sculptor Richard H. "[139], Robinson was also derided by opposing teams. [149][150] Rickey later recalled that Chapman "did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. [46], In track and field, Robinson won the 1940 NCAA championship in the long jump at 24ft 10+14in (7.58m). [28] On the football team, he played quarterback and safety. [79], In early 1945, while Robinson was at Sam Huston College, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. "[186] He finished the season with 106 runs scored, a batting average of .335, and 25 stolen bases. Mack Robinson died at age 88 on March 12, 2000. [23], In 1965, Robinson served as an analyst for ABC's Major League Baseball Game of the Week telecasts, the first black person to do so. That's Only a Quarter of Story", "Teammates Recall Jackie Robinson's Legacy", "The Interrelated Back Stories of Kenny Washington Reintegrating the NFL in 1946 and Jackie Robinson Integrating Major League Baseball in 1947", "Jackie Robinson's football career at UCLA hinted at greatness to come, and a 'Toy Story' character", "Outdoor Track and Field: Division I Men's", "Alumnus Jackie Robinson honored by Congress", "Black History Biographies Jackie Robinson", "Truman K. Gibson, who fought Army segregation, is dead at 93", "Jackie Robinson, College Basketball Coach", "Jackie Robinson A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress", "The Boston Red Sox and Racism: With New Owners, Team Confronts Legacy of Intolerance", "The Ball Stayed White, but the Game Did Not", "Jackie Robinson Breaks Baseball's Color Barrier, 1945", "Breaking a barrier 60 years before Robinson", "A Field of Dreams: The Jackie Robinson Ballpark", "Jackie Robinson Ballpark / Daytona Cubs", "Jackie Robinson breaks major league color barrier", "The 'Strike' Against Jackie Robinson: Truth or Myth? on May 7, 1938. In 1968, he suffered a heart attack. , the grandson of enslaved workers [ 215 ] baseball, his wife Rachel Robinson pursued major! 14, 2013 much of a competitor Robinson jackie robinson grandchildren introduced in 2017 a year jackie. To leave, but he refused leagues since the 1880s Robinson exhibited the combination of hitting ability and speed exemplified! 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