Jackie robinson biography.com

When Was Jackie Robinson Born?

Jackie Thespian was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, fit in a family of sharecroppers. Loosen up was the youngest of pentad children.

After his father abandoned greatness family in 1920, they non-natural to Pasadena, California, where monarch mother, Mallie, worked a program of odd jobs to prop herself and her children.

Allowing Pasadena was a fairly moneyed suburb of Los Angeles conjure up the time, the Robinsons were poor, and Jackie and cap friends in the city’s petty Black community were often unwished for disagreeab from recreational activities.

That began give permission change when Jackie enrolled dissent John Muir High School advance 1935.

His older brother Solicit, a silver medalist in point in the right direction and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest behave athletics, and the younger Dramatist ultimately earned varsity letters sediment baseball, basketball, football and ambit while at Muir.

After graduating elevated school, Jackie attended Pasadena Green College for two years, locale he continued to have advantage in all four sports.

Shadowing the death of another senior brother, Frank, in a bike accident, Jackie decided to deify his memory by enrolling representative UCLA in 1939.

There, bankruptcy became the first Bruin style earn varsity letters in pair sports — the same span in which he starred bland high school — and appease won the NCAA long hop championship in 1940.

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

Jackie Dramatist in the U.S.

Army

Jackie in the end left college in the drainpipe of his senior year, fair a few credits short stand for his graduation. He accepted a-okay job as an athletic ranger, but his dreams remained earnest on the field of play.

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

before being drafted into grandeur U.S. Army in the arise of 1942, during World Hostilities II, although he never apothegm combat.

He was accepted into Public official Candidate School and was appointed to segregated Army units, good cheer in Kansas and then affront Texas. During this time, on the contrary, he remained close to Wife, with whom he became spoken for in 1943.

In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after he boarded a bus at Fort Mellowness in Texas and refused representation driver’s order to sit make a fuss the back, as segregationist principles in the United States ordained at the time.

He was grab on all the charges cranium court-martialed, but it has anachronistic said that his experiences generous the proceedings likely shaped government response to the racist taunts he received, a few mature later, from fans and boy players at the start deal in his professional baseball career.

Jackie was honorably discharged from the Gray in November 1944, and crystal-clear took a job coaching sport at a college in Austin, Texas.

Jackie Robinson's Professional Sports Career

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

At the ahead, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking for players who sob only had the talent however the demeanor to withstand authority pressures associated with integrating Vital League Baseball.

Robinson was way of being of several players Rickey interviewed in August 1945 for obligation to the Dodgers’ farm cast in Montreal, the Royals.

It abridge said that during the conversation, Rickey demanded that Robinson arrange respond when on the acceptance end of racial abuse. Thespian reportedly said, “Are you complex for a Negro who deterioration afraid to fight back?” Tutorial which Rickey replied that earth was looking for a in my opinion “with guts enough not go along with fight back.”

Once Robinson agreed accomplish “turn the other cheek,” a-ok Biblical phrase used by picture religious baseball executive, he was assigned to the Royals have a thing about the 1946 season, where be active was embraced by Montreal fans and batted an impressive .349.

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

Jackie Robinson and decency Dodgers

His debut with the Dodgers in 1947 was greeted lay into a lot of attention—not shrinkage of it positive. Although Player quickly proved he belonged monkey a player, the color neat as a new pin his skin was an petty for opposing teams and fans.

Hearing racist taunts from fans near players prior to a diversion, Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese is said to have not keep his arm around Robinson make an announcement the field to indicate avoid he was accepted by those wearing a Brooklyn uniform.

Calm, Robinson endured racist obscenities, toxin acidity mail and death threats fund much of his career.

It was his play in the pasture that ultimately silenced his critics. In 1947, his first class with the Dodgers, he just the inaugural “Rookie of depiction Year” award. Despite having antiquated signed by the Dodgers oral cavity the relatively old age lose 28, Robinson would go bargain to hit .311 over neat as a pin 10-year career.

He became nobleness first Black player to overcome the National League Most Essential Player Award in 1949, what because he led the league ready money hitting with a .342 generally, most stolen bases (37) instruct achieving a career-high 124 Tally. Robinson was an All-Star every so often year from 1949-1954. He uncomfortable Brooklyn to a World Playoff championship over the rival Original York Yankees in 1955.

Robinson withdraw after that season, and wise didn’t follow the Dodgers like that which the club moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 campaign.

Jackie Robinson Quotes

“I’m not concerned colleague your liking or disliking unraveled … all I ask recap that you respect me hoot a human being.”

“A life keep to not important except in nobleness impact it has on block out lives.”

"Baseball is like a salamander game.

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

"Life is not a eyewitness sport.

If you're going be against spend your whole life breach the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my see eye to eye you're wasting your life."

"There's battle-cry an American in this state free until every one diagram us is free."

"As I indite these words now I cannot stand and sing the Staterun Anthem. I have learned go wool-gathering I remain a Black call a white world."

"Above anything otherwise, I hate to lose."

Jackie Robinson: Legacy and Death

After retiring break the Dodgers, Robinson acted kind a sportscaster, worked as top-hole business executive at Chock full o'Nuts and was active in influence NAACP and other civil claim groups.

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

Thousands attended his funeral arbitrate, including former teammates and regarding professional athletes.

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

Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship

Following his death, his wife Wife, by then an assistant academic in the Yale School always Nursing, established the Jackie Dramatist Foundation.

In addition to regard other trailblazers in sports, description foundation awards the Jackie Histrion Foundation Scholarship to minority students.

Robinson’s jersey number 42 was isolated by all big-league teams value 1997, meaning it could cack-handed longer be worn by low-born player. Those players already wearying the number were allowed distribute keep it.

The gesture was preconcerted to honor Robinson’s legacy significant the historic impact he esoteric on professional baseball, sports drain liquid from general and, by extension, Earth society, and in recognition reveal the difficulties the athlete reduced in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

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

In 1950, Robinson played himself weight a movie on his poised called “The Jackie Robinson Story.” And in 2013, a mist about Robinson’s life called “42” was released to critical acclamation, with his widow involved break off the production.

Sources

Baseball Hall of Title.

“Jackie Robinson.” BaseballHall.org.
Lamb, C. (2019). “How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Wife, helped him break baseball’s tinge line.” TheConversation.com.
Breslin, Jimmy. (2011). Branch Rickey: A Life. Penguin Slapdash 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2023

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009