[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. April 13, 2010. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the civil rights movement. [2] Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. "[27], After Muir, Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College (PJC), where he continued his athletic career by participating in basketball, football, baseball, and track. [50] In the spring, Robinson left college just shy of graduation, despite the reservations of his mother and Isum. [209] Robinson has been referred to by author David Falkner as "the father of modern base-stealing".[210]. Manager Leo Durocher informed the team, "I do not care if the guy is yellow or black, or if he has stripes like a fuckin' zebra. This guy didn't just come to play. 1. Clay Hopper, the manager of the Royals, asked Rickey to assign Robinson to any other Dodger affiliate, but Rickey refused. Under the terms of the retirement, a grandfather clause allowed the handful of players who wore number 42 to continue doing so in tribute to Robinson, until such time as they subsequently changed teams or jersey numbers. [237] He was elected on the first ballot, becoming the first black player inducted into the Cooperstown museum. [310][311] At Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, a statue of Robinson was introduced in 2017. [106], Robinson's promotion met a generally positive, although mixed, reception among newspapers and white major league players. [76], After his discharge, Robinson briefly returned to his old football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. "[334], On November 22, 2014, UCLA announced that it would officially retire the number 42 across all university sports, effective immediately. Larry Doby (who broke the color barrier in the American League on July 5, 1947, just 11 weeks after Robinson) and Satchel Paige played for the Cleveland Indians, and the Dodgers had three other black players besides Robinson. [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". Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. Muchnick. [324] His home in Brooklyn, the Jackie Robinson House, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976,[325] and Brooklyn residents sought to turn his home into a city landmark. . Robinson broke the baseball color barrier, also called the color line, when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. At Sisler's suggestion, Robinson spent hours at a batting tee, learning to hit the ball to right field. [327][328] Robinson also has an asteroid named after him, 4319 Jackierobinson. [241], On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number, 42, alongside those of Roy Campanella (39) and Sandy Koufax (32). [299][300] For the 60th anniversary of Robinson's major league debut, MLB invited players to wear the number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day in 2007. [23][243] Robinson always considered his business career as advancing the cause of black people in commerce and industry. [17] He played shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, quarterback on the football team, and guard on the basketball team. NEW YORK (AP) New York City's Department of Transportation swung and missed with a road sign for the Jackie Robinson Parkway that spelled the baseball Hall of Famer's first name as "Jakie.". [200], Robinson's major league debut brought an end to approximately sixty years of segregation in professional baseball, known as the baseball color line. [265] After his discharge, he struggled with drug problems. 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. [52][81] Although he played well for the Monarchs, Robinson was frustrated with the experience. [208] He accumulated 197 stolen bases in total,[162] including 19 steals of home. In high. [165] In 1948, Wendell Smith's book, Jackie Robinson: My Own Story, was released. The price was the highest ever paid for a post-World War II jersey.[340]. It was a painful search, derailed by racist brokers and neighbors who were afraid that selling to an African-American family even to Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Robinson would cause lower property values, block busting, or worse. After Jack's philandering father abandoned the family, his mother. Jackie Robinson, byname of Jack Roosevelt Robinson, (born January 31, 1919, Cairo, Georgia, U.S.died October 24, 1972, Stamford, Connecticut), the first Black baseball player to play in the American major leagues during the 20th century. [93] Robinson made his debut in a Dodgers uniform wearing number 42 on April 11, 1947, in a preseason exhibition game against the New York Yankees at Ebbets Field with 24,237 in attendance. Mack Robinson died at age 88 on March 12, 2000. Sources point to various reasons for Robinson's departure from UCLA. 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. [161] Robinson had a batting average of .296 and 22 stolen bases for the season. No.32 Is Likely To Be Hottest Debate", "Rare Jackie Robinson jersey sold for $2.05 million", Sporting News MLB Rookie of the Year Award, National League Most Valuable Player Award, National League season stolen base leaders, Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings streak, "You're Looking at One for the Ages Here", Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning, National Football Foundation Gold Medal winners, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jackie_Robinson&oldid=1142150607, Activists for African-American civil rights, African-American male track and field athletes, American expatriate baseball players in Canada, Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state), Baseball players from Pasadena, California, Basketball players from Pasadena, California, College men's basketball head coaches in the United States, Major League Baseball players with retired numbers, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners, Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state), National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, National League Most Valuable Player Award winners, Pasadena City Lancers men's basketball players, Players of American football from Pasadena, California, UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes, United States Army personnel of World War II, United States Army personnel who were court-martialed, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, October 10,1956,for theBrooklyn Dodgers, Antonio Todd in "Colors", a 2005 episode of the, Robert Hamilton in "Sundown", a 2020 episode of the, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 19:58. [191] He was not dissuaded, however, from addressing racial issues publicly. Born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was the youngest of Jerry and Mallie Robinson's five children. At one time, he received a seven-inch gash in his leg from Enos Slaughter. [84] In all, Robinson played 47 games at shortstop for the Monarchs, hitting .387 with five home runs, and registering 13 stolen bases. [171], In 1950, Robinson led the National League in double plays made by a second baseman with 133. 42 in honor of the player who broke baseball's color barrier . [157] Robinson also talked frequently with Larry Doby, who endured his own hardships since becoming the first black player in the American League with the Cleveland Indians, as the two spoke to one another via telephone throughout the season. [179] Rickey shortly thereafter became general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Karl Downs) to attend church on a regular basis, and Downs became a confidant for Robinson, a Christian. He died of heart attack at the age of 53, and his funeral was attended by thousands of people. "You will find that the friends that you think you have in the press box will not support you, that you will be outcasts," Frick was quoted as saying. [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. Jackie Jr Robinson- Jackie's oldest son, served in the Vietnam War, and played baseball like his father Sharon Robinson- Jackiest second child, and only daughter, wrote books supporting African rights David Robinson- Jackie's youngest son, was also into baseball as a child 1950), and David Robinson (b. [35][64], An event on July 6, 1944, derailed Robinson's military career. [96][97] Rickey did not offer compensation to the Monarchs, instead believing all Negro league players were free agents due to the contracts not containing a reserve clause. [49] He played football as a senior, but the 1940 Bruins won only one game. David Robinson created Sweet Unity Farms, a group of 300 small farms in Tanzania. Jackie Robinson married Rachel Isum in 1946. [266] On June 17, 1971, he was killed in an automobile accident at age 24. [102] In what was later referred to as "The Noble Experiment",[52][103] Robinson was the first black baseball player in the International League since the 1880s. [106] Larry Doby, who broke the color line in the American League the same year as Robinson, said, "One of the things that was disappointing and disheartening to a lot of the black players at the time was that Jack was not the best player. [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. [90] He left the tryout humiliated,[87] and more than 14 years later, in July 1959, the Red Sox became the final major league team to integrate its roster. [134] On April 15, Robinson made his major league debut at the relatively advanced age of 28 at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, more than 14,000 of whom were black. [238] In 1966, Robinson was hired as general manager for the short-lived Brooklyn Dodgers of the Continental Football League. [162] He did, however, record a career-high on-base percentage of .436. [274] On April 15, 2008, she announced that in 2010 the foundation would open a museum devoted to Jackie in Lower Manhattan. [89] Even with the stands limited to management, Robinson was subjected to racial epithets. [330] That same year, New York City renamed the Interboro Parkway in his honor. While at Fort Hood, Robinson often used his weekend leave to visit the Rev. [46], In track and field, Robinson won the 1940 NCAA championship in the long jump at 24ft 10+14in (7.58m). [187] He finished the year with 104 runs, a .308 batting average, and 24 stolen bases. [141] Existence of the plot was said to have been leaked by the Cardinals' team physician, Robert Hyland, to a friend, the New York Herald Tribune's Rutherford "Rud" Rennie. [233], In October 1959, Robinson entered the Greenville Municipal Airport's whites-only waiting room. [270] Twenty-five years after Robinson's death, the Interboro Parkway was renamed the Jackie Robinson Parkway in his memory. 1990. born in 1946 and died in a car accident in 1971, Sharon Robinson was born in 1950 and David Robinson was born in 1952. For other people named Jackie Robinson, see, Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954, The number 42 worn by Robinson on a plaque at Monument Park (left), and Jackie Robinson Rotunda inside Citi Field (right), MVP, Congressional testimony, and film biography (19481950), Pennant races and outside interests (19511953), World Championship and retirement (19541956). [36] While at PJC, he was motivated by a preacher (the Rev. "[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. [152] Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese once came to Robinson's defense with the famous line, "You can hate a man for many reasons. [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. 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. [166], In the spring of 1949, Robinson turned to Hall of Famer George Sisler, working as an advisor to the Dodgers, for batting help. On April 18, 1946, Roosevelt Stadium hosted the Jersey City Giants' season opener against the Montreal Royals, marking the professional debut of the Royals' Jackie Robinson and the first time the color barrier had been broken in a game between two minor league clubs. After his death in 1972, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his achievements on and off the field. [48] In 2002, Molefi Kete Asante included Robinson on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. Color is not one of them. [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. [276] His youngest son, David, who has ten children, is a coffee grower and social activist in Tanzania. [269], Robinson did not outlive his son by very long. [335], A jersey that Robinson brought home with him after his rookie season ended in 1947 was sold at an auction for $2.05million on November 19, 2017. [156] Jewish baseball star Hank Greenberg, who had to deal with ethnic epithets during his career, also encouraged Robinson. For the family of Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, it's an honor they've had An embarrassing mistake on a New York street sign named in honor of Jackie Robinson is going viral. No black man had played in the major leagues since Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884, but the Boston Red Sox nevertheless held a tryout at Fenway Park for Robinson and other black players on April 16. ", "Larry Doby Remembers Being Introduced To", "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball? [87][88] The tryout, however, was a farce chiefly designed to assuage the desegregationist sensibilities of powerful Boston City Councilman Isadore H. Y. [131] In the fall of 1946, following the baseball season, Robinson returned home to California and briefly played professional basketball for the short-lived Los Angeles Red Devils. He came from a family of sharecroppers who lived in Cairo, Georgia. Robinson attended John Muir High School . [299] The gesture was originally the idea of outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., who sought Rachel Robinson's permission to wear the number. Robinson Jr. eventually completed the treatment program at Daytop Village in Seymour, Connecticut, and became a counselor at the institution. 4. The following January, approximately 1,000 people marched on New Year's Day to the airport,[234][235] which was desegregated shortly thereafter. 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. [138] Some Dodger players insinuated they would sit out rather than play alongside Robinson. [142][143][144] The Woodward article made national headlines. "[151], However, Robinson received significant encouragement from several major league players. Since 1997, only Wayne Gretzky's number 99, retired by the NHL in 2000, and Bill Russell's number 6, retired by the NBA in 2022, have been retired league-wide in any of the four major sports. [75] Robinson took the former player's advice and wrote to Monarchs co-owner Thomas Baird. [52] Robinson was aghast: "Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back? [232] Although Robinson adopted an insulin injection regimen, the state of medicine at the time could not prevent the continued deterioration of Robinson's physical condition from the disease. After his death, his wife established the 'Jackie Robinson Foundation' in 1973 with the aim of providing scholarships for higher education to minority youths. [284] Robinson was among the 25 charter members of UCLA's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984. There was also Jackie the boy, grandson of slaves, hauled cross-country as a toddler from a life of sharecropping to the promise of Pasadena by a determined single mother, a Great Migration. "[203], 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. [119][120] In DeLand, a scheduled day game was postponed, ostensibly because of issues with the stadium's electrical lighting. [285] Robinson has also been honored by the United States Postal Service on three separate postage stamps, in 1982, 1999, and 2000. At a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) speech in Greenville, South Carolina, Robinson urged "complete freedom" and encouraged black citizens to vote and to protest their second-class citizenship. [283] 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. 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