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. [140] According to a press report, the St. Louis Cardinals threatened to strike if Robinson played and spread the walkout across the entire National League. 1. 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. For a general survey of the media reaction to Robinson at various phases of his career, In addition to Robinson, the 1949 All-Star game featured, Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award, History of baseball in the United States Racial integration in baseball, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 100 most influential people of the 20th century, The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, List of first black Major League Baseball players, List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders, List of Major League Baseball batting champions, List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders, List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise, List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle, List of Major League Baseball retired numbers, List of NCAA major college football yearly rushing leaders, List of NCAA major college yearly punt and kickoff return leaders, List of Negro league baseball players who played in Major League Baseball, List of University of California, Los Angeles people, Los Angeles Dodgers award winners and league leaders, "Boston Braves at Brooklyn Dodgers Box Score, April 15, 1947", "Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson: precursors of the civil rights movement", "In Pharaoh's Land: Cairo, Georgia 19191920", "White House dream team: Jackie Roosevelt Robinson", "Robinson a Baseball Star? [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. The sign spotted Sunday in Queens featured a picture of Robinson, Major League Baseball's first African American . [162] By then, he had begun to exhibit the effects of diabetes and to lose interest in the prospect of playing or managing professional baseball. [35] Robinson received a two-year suspended sentence, but the incidentalong with other rumored run-ins between Robinson and policegave Robinson a reputation for combativeness in the face of racial antagonism. Jack had 16 grandchildren and as of 2014, he had 2 great-grandchildren. All will be suspended and I don't care if it wrecks the National League for five years. [336][337][338][339] In a move paralleling that of MLB when it retired the number, UCLA allowed three athletes (in women's soccer, softball, and football) who were already wearing 42 to continue to do so for the remainder of their UCLA careers. On Jackie Robinson Day at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Aug. 28, 2020, Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates players wore No. January 31, 1919 Georgia. He was the youngest of five children. Karl Downs to be the athletic director at Samuel Huston College in Austin, then of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Robinson Jr. eventually completed the treatment program at Daytop Village in Seymour, Connecticut, and became a counselor at the institution. Born on January 31 51 Deceased on October 24 41 Baseball 44 Family tree Report an error Robinson Willis 1842 - 1870 Robinson Violet 1840 - Love Henry 1848 - Henderson Clara 1845 - 1920 McGriff Jacob 1805 - McGriff Rutha 1810 - Sims Henry 1845 - 1921 Pullens Lucy 1834 - 1904 Robinson Tony 1862 - 1932 Henderson Florence 1864 - 1951 McGriff Washington He was the first black man to openly play in the major leagues since the 1880s. [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. [55] Robinson then accepted an offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. "[151], However, Robinson received significant encouragement from several major league players. This is the United States of America and one citizen has as much right to play as another. Robinson died at age 85 at a hospital in Pasadena on March 12, 2000. [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. [298], As an exception to the retired-number policy, MLB began honoring Robinson by allowing players to wear number 42 on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day, which is an annual observance that started in 2004. [108] Later that off-season, he briefly toured South America with another barnstorming team, while his fiance Isum pursued nursing opportunities in New York City. [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. [142][143][144] The Woodward article made national headlines. 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. [327][328] Robinson also has an asteroid named after him, 4319 Jackierobinson. "I do not care if half the league strikes. [167] The tutelage helped Robinson raise his batting average from .296 in 1948 to .342 in 1949. [187] He finished the year with 104 runs, a .308 batting average, and 24 stolen bases. high-school baseball, "Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 19811989", "Jackie Robinson receives Congressional Gold Medal", "Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver Announce the California Hall of Fame 2007 Inductees", "Steele Field at Jackie Robinson Stadium", "Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson Daytona Beach, Florida", "Robinson 'stood up for what he believed', "Fearing gang violence, school forfeits a game", "Historic sports sites rarely take landmark status", "Residents Want To Turn Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Home into City Landmark", "NYC Parks unveils renovated Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem", "A Closer Look at New York City's Historic Harlem Parks (Part II)", "The Jackie Robinson Commemorative Coin Set", "Mayor Giuliani Unveils the New Jackie Robinson Parkway Sign", "Jersey City, Journal Square, plaque at base of Jackie Robinson statue", "Jackie Robinson's old Montreal apartment to be commemorated by U.S. government", "UCLA Honors Jackie Robinson by Retiring #42 Across All Sports", "201112 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide", "UCLA Basketball Notebook: Wooden Won't Make Trip To Indianapolis", "The Numbers Game From 00 To 99, Which Player Would You Choose for the All-Time Southern California Roster? [242] From 1957 to 1964, Robinson was the vice president for personnel at Chock full o'Nuts; he was the first black person to serve as vice president of a major American corporation. Jackie Robinson Research Papers. [200], 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. [179] Rickey shortly thereafter became general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. April 13, 2010. Rachel and their three children, Jackie Jr., Sharon and David, provided Jackie with the emotional support and sense of purpose essential for bearing the pressure during the early years of baseball. 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. 4. While Robinson wore several different numbers during his UCLA career, the school chose 42 because it had become indelibly identified with him. He hit .256 and stole only 12 bases. [261] She also served on the board of the Freedom National Bank until it closed in 1990. [123][124] Robinson made his Royals debut at Daytona Beach's City Island Ballpark on March 17, 1946, in an exhibition game against the team's parent club, the Dodgers. [317], A number of buildings have been named in Robinson's honor. [197], In 1956, Robinson had 61 runs scored, a .275 batting average, and 12 steals. The Dodgers tried Robinson in the outfield and as a third baseman, both because of his diminishing abilities and because Gilliam was established at second base. [167] Sisler taught Robinson to anticipate a fastball, on the theory that it is easier to subsequently adjust to a slower curveball. [18] Growing up in relative poverty in an otherwise affluent community, Robinson and his minority friends were excluded from many recreational opportunities. [77] The job included coaching the school's basketball team for the 194445 season. I think that's one of the reasons why Josh died so earlyhe was heartbroken. [161] In February 1948, he signed a $12,500 contract (equal to $140,980 today) with the Dodgers; while a significant amount, this was less than Robinson made in the off-season from a vaudeville tour, where he answered pre-set baseball questions and a speaking tour of the South. Robinson also led the NCAA in punt return average in the 1939 and 1940 seasons. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank, an African-American-owned financial institution based in Harlem, New York. [161], Summer 1949 brought an unwanted distraction for Robinson. He was a shortstop and leadoff hitter for the baseball team,[17] and he broke an American junior college broad-jump record held by his brother Mack with a jump of 25ft. .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}6+12 in. The following January, approximately 1,000 people marched on New Year's Day to the airport,[234][235] which was desegregated shortly thereafter. [305], At the November 2006 groundbreaking for Citi Field, the new ballpark for the New York Mets, it was announced that the main entrance, modeled on the one in Brooklyn's old Ebbets Field, would be called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. 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. [243] He also served as the bank's first chairman of the board. [59], After receiving his commission, Robinson was reassigned to Fort Hood, Texas, where he joined the 761st "Black Panthers" Tank Battalion. [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. [200], Robinson's major league debut brought an end to approximately sixty years of segregation in professional baseball, known as the baseball color line. retired number Baseball Hall of Fame (1962) Most Valuable Player (1949) six-time All-Star Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 1962) Rookie of the Year Award 1x . on May 7, 1938. [211] After playing his rookie season at first base,[93] Robinson spent most of his career as a second baseman. [141] Regardless, the report led to Robinson receiving increased support from the sports media. [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". Because of his off-season activities, Robinson reported to training camp 30 pounds (14kg) overweight. [211], Assessing himself, Robinson said, "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me all I ask is that you respect me as a human being. "[180][181][182], Before the 1951 season, O'Malley reportedly offered Robinson the job of manager of the Montreal Royals, effective at the end of Robinson's playing career. Robinson broke the baseball color barrier, also called the color line, when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. [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. Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully later noted that the incident showed "how much of a competitor Robinson was. [85] He also appeared in the 1945 EastWest All-Star Game, going hitless in five at-bats. [162] The Dodgers improved on their performance from the year before, winning the National League pennant before losing the 1952 World Series to the New York Yankees in seven games. Feb 27, 2023, 12:45 PM EST. [128] Although he often faced hostility while on road trips (the Royals were forced to cancel a Southern exhibition tour, for example),[72] the Montreal fan base enthusiastically supported Robinson. [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. [129][130] 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. [136] Black fans began flocking to see the Dodgers when they came to town, abandoning their Negro league teams. [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. [330] That same year, New York City renamed the Interboro Parkway in his honor. Robinson was born on January 31, 1919. Growing up during the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and in the Robinson home where such issues were at the core of everyday life, David Robinson has spent the last 40 years involved in the development of racial and human opportunity. - IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders Family (1) Spouse [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. [245] In 1970, Robinson established the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to build housing for low-income families. [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. 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. [55] By that time, however, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had taken place, which drew the United States into World War II and ended Robinson's nascent football career. [52], In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit at Fort Riley (in Kansas). "[189] The 1952 season was the last year Robinson was an everyday starter at second base. [183][184], During the 1951 season, Robinson led the National League in double plays made by a second baseman for the second year in a row, with 137. That September, he signed with Chet Brewer's Kansas City Royals, a post-season barnstorming team in the California Winter League. [195] Robinson, then 36 years old,[196] missed 49 games and did not play in Game 7 of the World Series. [50] In the spring, Robinson left college just shy of graduation, despite the reservations of his mother and Isum. 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. [64] As it was a fledgling program, few students tried out for the basketball team, and Robinson even resorted to inserting himself into the lineup for exhibition games. 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. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the military police, who took Robinson into custody. 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