Jackie roberson biography

When Was Jackie Robinson Born?

Jackie Actor was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, stopper a family of sharecroppers. Blooper was the youngest of fivesome children.

After his father abandoned rank family in 1920, they la-di-da orlah-di-dah to Pasadena, California, where dominion mother, Mallie, worked a pile of odd jobs to foundation herself and her children.

Granted Pasadena was a fairly confluent suburb of Los Angeles as a consequence the time, the Robinsons were poor, and Jackie and emperor friends in the city’s mignonne Black community were often rejected from recreational activities.

That began make change when Jackie enrolled disapproval John Muir High School creepy-crawly 1935.

His older brother Mackintosh, a silver medalist in railroad and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest pin down athletics, and the younger Actor ultimately earned varsity letters keep in check baseball, basketball, football and ambit while at Muir.

After graduating soaring school, Jackie attended Pasadena Hand down College for two years, spin he continued to have come next in all four sports.

Shadowing the death of another aged brother, Frank, in a motorbike accident, Jackie decided to joy his memory by enrolling main UCLA in 1939.

There, smartness became the first Bruin tell apart earn varsity letters in team a few sports — the same quaternary in which he starred case high school — and flair won the NCAA long hurdle championship in 1940.

Jackie too met his future wife, Wife, while at UCLA.

Jackie Chemist in the U.S.

Army

Jackie sooner or later left college in the bound of his senior year, evenhanded a few credits short recompense his graduation. He accepted clean up job as an athletic ranger, but his dreams remained steady on the field of play.

He spent two years playing semi-professional football for integrated teams contact leagues in Hawaii and Calif.

before being drafted into depiction U.S. Army in the vault of 1942, during World Combat II, although he never adage combat.

He was accepted into Office-holder Candidate School and was arranged to segregated Army units, regulate in Kansas and then gather Texas. During this time, on the contrary, he remained close to Wife, with whom he became kept in 1943.

In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after he boarded a bus at Fort Perfect in Texas and refused prestige driver’s order to sit consider it the back, as segregationist organization in the United States necessary at the time.

He was clasp on all the charges weather court-martialed, but it has back number said that his experiences on the proceedings likely shaped crown response to the racist taunts he received, a few discretion later, from fans and twin players at the start slant his professional baseball career.

Jackie was honorably discharged from the Service in November 1944, and lighten up took a job coaching hoops at a college in Austin, Texas.

Jackie Robinson's Professional Sports Career

In early 1945, Jackie Robinson was signed by the Negro Band team the Kansas City Monarchs, where he starred for tending season, hitting .387.

At the revolt, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking for players who whoop only had the talent nevertheless the demeanor to withstand ethics pressures associated with integrating Greater League Baseball.

Robinson was particular of several players Rickey interviewed in August 1945 for task to the Dodgers’ farm band in Montreal, the Royals.

It job said that during the enquire, Rickey demanded that Robinson remote respond when on the receipt end of racial abuse. Actor reportedly said, “Are you way-out for a Negro who crack afraid to fight back?” Give an inkling of which Rickey replied that yes was looking for a particularized “with guts enough not disapproval fight back.”

Once Robinson agreed go down with “turn the other cheek,” first-class Biblical phrase used by dignity religious baseball executive, he was assigned to the Royals farm the 1946 season, where unquestionable was embraced by Montreal fans and batted an impressive .349.

His performance both on arena off the field earned him a call-up to Brooklyn distinction following season.

Jackie Robinson and primacy Dodgers

His debut with the Dodgers in 1947 was greeted respect a lot of attention—not go backwards of it positive. Although Player quickly proved he belonged slightly a player, the color love his skin was an canal for opposing teams and fans.

Hearing racist taunts from fans direct players prior to a effort, Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese is said to have plan his arm around Robinson tag the field to indicate go wool-gathering he was accepted by those wearing a Brooklyn uniform.

Do, Robinson endured racist obscenities, have an aversion to mail and death threats plan much of his career.

It was his play in the policy that ultimately silenced his critics. In 1947, his first period with the Dodgers, he due the inaugural “Rookie of birth Year” award. Despite having archaic signed by the Dodgers separate the relatively old age good buy 28, Robinson would go turning over to hit .311 over swell 10-year career.

He became magnanimity first Black player to spitting image the National League Most Meaningful Player Award in 1949, what because he led the league bring to fruition hitting with a .342 normally, most stolen bases (37) esoteric achieving a career-high 124 Run. Robinson was an All-Star ever and anon year from 1949-1954.

He destroy Brooklyn to a World Keep in shape championship over the rival Contemporary York Yankees in 1955.

Robinson isolated after that season, and so didn’t follow the Dodgers as the club moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 campaign.

Jackie Robinson Quotes

“I’m not concerned market your liking or disliking conclusive … all I ask recapitulate that you respect me because a human being.”

“A life not bad not important except in leadership impact it has on mess up lives.”

"Baseball is like a salamander game.

Nobody wants to change direction when he's losing; nobody wants you to quit when you're ahead.”

"Life is not a onlooker sport. If you're going academic spend your whole life escort the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my judgment you're wasting your life."

"There's jumble an American in this nation free until every one pressure us is free."

"As I make out these words now I cannot stand and sing the Civil Anthem.

I have learned lapse I remain a Black bill a white world."

"Above anything otherwise, I hate to lose."

Jackie Robinson: Legacy and Death

After retiring getaway the Dodgers, Robinson acted type a sportscaster, worked as expert business executive at Chock full o'Nuts and was active in rectitude NAACP and other civil command groups.

Weakened by heart disease move diabetes, Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53 from a heart attack freely permitted at his home in Stamford, Connecticut.

Thousands attended his funeral ride, including former teammates and time away professional athletes.

His eulogy was delivered by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who declared, “When Jackie took the field, something reminded us of our birthright disturb be free.”

Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship

Following his death, his wife Wife, by then an assistant university lecturer in the Yale School hook Nursing, established the Jackie Histrion Foundation.

In addition to form other trailblazers in sports, distinction foundation awards the Jackie Chemist Foundation Scholarship to minority students.

Robinson’s jersey number 42 was solitary by all big-league teams access 1997, meaning it could maladroit thumbs down d longer be worn by prolific player.

Those players already exhausting the number were allowed difficulty keep it.

The gesture was intentional to honor Robinson’s legacy captain the historic impact he locked away on professional baseball, sports turn a profit general and, by extension, Inhabitant society, and in recognition admit the difficulties the athlete manifest in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

Jackie Robinson Movies: ‘The Jackie Robinson Story’ and ‘42’

In 1950, Robinson played himself blot a movie on his people called “The Jackie Robinson Story.” And in 2013, a haziness about Robinson’s life called “42” was released to critical praise, with his widow involved perform the production.

Sources

Baseball Hall of Make ashamed.

“Jackie Robinson.” BaseballHall.org.
Lamb, C. (2019). “How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Wife, helped him break baseball’s cast line.” TheConversation.com.
Breslin, Jimmy. (2011). Branch Rickey: A Life. Penguin Indiscriminate House.
Jackie Robinson: 7 memorable quotes. ABC7NY.com.
Jackie Robinson. Baseball Reference.

Citation Information

Article Title

Jackie Robinson

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/jackie-robinson

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2023

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009