Jackie Robinson

Lore & Background

Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson was raised in Pasadena, California. A four-sport student athlete at Pasadena Junior College and the University of California, Los Angeles, he was better known for football than he was for baseball, becoming a star with the UCLA Bruins football team. Following his college career, Robinson was drafted for service during World War II, but was court-martialed for refusing to sit at the back of a segregated Army bus, eventually being honorably discharged. Afterwards, he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues, where he caught the eye of Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first Black player so honored. He played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year of eligibility. Robinson also was the first Black television analyst in MLB and the first Black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o'Nuts. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank. After his death in 1972, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1997, MLB retired his uniform number, 42, across all Major League teams; he was the first professional athlete in any sport to be so honored. 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 the number 42.

Reader's Guide

Robinson’s character, his use of nonviolence, and his talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation that had then marked many other aspects of American life. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the civil rights movement. His approach on the field, combined with his personal discipline, directly confronted the racial barriers that had excluded Black players from Major League Baseball since the 1880s. By performing at an elite level—winning the inaugural Rookie of the Year award, earning All-Star selections for six straight seasons, and becoming the first Black player to win the National League Most Valuable Player award—he demonstrated that talent and character transcended race. His impact extended beyond baseball: he became the first Black television analyst in MLB and the first Black vice president of a major American corporation. In the 1960s, he helped establish a Black-owned bank in Harlem. His legacy was formally recognized when MLB retired his uniform number across all teams, the first such honor for any professional athlete, and when an annual day was instituted on which every player wears that number. He was posthumously awarded both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his achievements on and off the field.

Did You Know?

• Robinson was the first African American to play in MLB in the modern era, breaking the color line on April 15, 1947.
• He won the National League MVP in 1949, the first Black player so honored.
• Robinson was a four-sport athlete at UCLA, but was better known for football than baseball.
• He was court-martialed during World War II for refusing to sit at the back of a segregated Army bus.
• MLB retired his number 42 across all teams in 1997, the first professional athlete in any sport to be so honored.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"The kid was great. He was the difference. The Yankees certainly didn't miss Joe DiMaggio out there in center field today—and won't as long as that guy's around." — Jackie Robinson "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." — Jackie Robinson "I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag. I know that I am a black man in a white world." — Jackie Robinson "You can hate a man for many reasons, his color isn't one of them." — Jackie Robinson