In the year 1947, Jackie Robinson took to the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball. Here are a few facts about his life:
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia but raised in Pasadena California.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was named after Teddy Roosevelt.
Jackie Robinson was the youngest of five children.
His older brother Mack, a silver medalist in track and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest in athletics, and the younger Robinson ultimately earned varsity letters in baseball, basketball, football and track while at John Muir High School.
Also, in high school, Jackie Robinson played on a team with other future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon.
He became the first UCLA Bruin to earn varsity letters in four sports — the same four in which he starred in high school — and he won the NCAA long jump championship in 1940.
Jackie met his future wife, Rachel, while at UCLA.
He spent two years playing semi-professional football for integrated teams in leagues in Hawaii and California before being drafted into the U.S. Army in the spring of 1942.
In early 1945 he was signed by the Negro League team the Kansas City Monarchs.
As a Dodger, Robinson would go on to hit .311 over a 10-year career.
He became the first Black player to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949, when he led the league in hitting with a .342 average, most stolen bases (37) and achieving career-high 124 RBI.
Robinson was an All Star every year from 1949-1954.
He led Brooklyn to a World Series championship over the rival New York Yankees in 1956.
After retiring from the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson acted as a sportscaster, worked as a business executive at Chock full o’Nuts, and was active in the NAACP and other civil rights groups. Meanwhile, the Dodgers moved to L.A. in 1959.
Weakened by heart disease and diabetes, Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53 from a heart attack suffered at his home in Stamford, Connecticut.
His number 42 has been permanently retired from baseball and April 15th is designated as Jackie Robinson Day.
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