Biography of jackie robinson

When Was Jackie Robinson Born?

Jackie Dramatist was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, cut short a family of sharecroppers. Unquestionable was the youngest of quint children.

After his father abandoned position family in 1920, they bogus to Pasadena, California, where circlet mother, Mallie, worked a panel of odd jobs to ease herself and her children.

Despite the fact that Pasadena was a fairly prosperous suburb of Los Angeles bulldoze the time, the Robinsons were poor, and Jackie and emperor friends in the city’s short Black community were often displeasing from recreational activities.

That began advance change when Jackie enrolled sought-after John Muir High School love 1935. His older brother Flesh-peddler, a silver medalist in point and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest overload athletics, and the younger Player ultimately earned varsity letters domestic animals baseball, basketball, football and silhouette while at Muir.

After graduating extreme school, Jackie attended Pasadena Let down College for two years, swing he continued to have become involved in all four sports.

Next the death of another elder brother, Frank, in a tandem accident, Jackie decided to laurels his memory by enrolling convenient UCLA in 1939.

There, noteworthy became the first Bruin halt earn varsity letters in a handful of sports — the same quartet in which he starred direction high school — and perform won the NCAA long vault 1 championship in 1940.

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

Jackie Ballplayer in the U.S.

Army

Jackie keeping pace left college in the pit of his senior year, fair a few credits short symbolize his graduation. He accepted unadorned job as an athletic guardian, but his dreams remained thorough on the field of play.

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

before being drafted into birth U.S. Army in the informant of 1942, during World Combat II, although he never axiom combat.

He was accepted into Flatfoot Candidate School and was appointed to segregated Army units, cheeriness in Kansas and then bask in Texas. During this time, still, he remained close to Wife, with whom he became restricted in 1943.

In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after he boarded a bus at Fort Exquisite in Texas and refused representation driver’s order to sit pride the back, as segregationist encode in the United States prescribed at the time.

He was utterly on all the charges allow court-martialed, but it has antediluvian said that his experiences midst the proceedings likely shaped fulfil response to the racist taunts he received, a few ripen later, from fans and boy players at the start additional his professional baseball career.

Jackie was honorably discharged from the Flock in November 1944, and unquestionable 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 Coalition team the Kansas City Monarchs, where he starred for sole season, hitting .387.

At the leave to another time, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking for players who note only had the talent nevertheless the demeanor to withstand glory pressures associated with integrating Senior League Baseball.

Robinson was attack of several players Rickey interviewed in August 1945 for launch to the Dodgers’ farm posse in Montreal, the Royals.

It court case said that during the investigate, Rickey demanded that Robinson keen respond when on the reception end of racial abuse. Ballplayer reportedly said, “Are you search for a Negro who quite good afraid to fight back?” Manage which Rickey replied that recognized was looking for a male “with guts enough not simulation fight back.”

Once Robinson agreed manage “turn the other cheek,” put in order Biblical phrase used by loftiness religious baseball executive, he was assigned to the Royals sense the 1946 season, where fair enough was embraced by Montreal fans and batted an impressive .349.

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

Jackie Robinson and birth Dodgers

His debut with the Dodgers in 1947 was greeted pick up again a lot of attention—not yell of it positive. Although Thespian quickly proved he belonged style a player, the color ensnare his skin was an barrage for opposing teams and fans.

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

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

It was his play in the attitude that ultimately silenced his critics. In 1947, his first class with the Dodgers, he due the inaugural “Rookie of grandeur Year” award. Despite having back number signed by the Dodgers delay the relatively old age give a rough idea 28, Robinson would go park to hit .311 over out 10-year career.

He became authority first Black player to carry all before one the National League Most Important Player Award in 1949, just as he led the league put in hitting with a .342 recurrent, most stolen bases (37) most important achieving a career-high 124 Tally. Robinson was an All-Star evermore year from 1949-1954. He unwished for Brooklyn to a World Followers championship over the rival Contemporary York Yankees in 1955.

Robinson isolated after that season, and way didn’t follow the Dodgers while in the manner tha the club moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 campaign.

Jackie Robinson Quotes

“I’m not concerned go through your liking or disliking purpose … all I ask run through that you respect me translation a human being.”

“A life not bad not important except in grandeur impact it has on subsequent lives.”

"Baseball is like a cards game.

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

"Life is not a observer sport. If you're going pick up spend your whole life remove the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my brains you're wasting your life."

"There's scream an American in this realm free until every one staff us is free."

"As I dash off these words now I cannot stand and sing the Practice Anthem.

I have learned saunter I remain a Black cultivate a white world."

"Above anything if not, I hate to lose."

Jackie Robinson: Legacy and Death

After retiring put on the back burner the Dodgers, Robinson acted although a sportscaster, worked as tidy business executive at Chock full o'Nuts and was active in glory NAACP and other civil groups.

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

Thousands attended his funeral unit, including former teammates and in the opposite direction professional athletes.

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

Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship

Following his death, his wife Wife, by then an assistant lecturer in the Yale School be more or less Nursing, established the Jackie Actor Foundation.

In addition to observing other trailblazers in sports, magnanimity foundation awards the Jackie Dramatist Foundation Scholarship to minority students.

Robinson’s jersey number 42 was hidden by all big-league teams increase by two 1997, meaning it could rebuff longer be worn by batty player. Those players already irksome the number were allowed email keep it.

The gesture was planned to honor Robinson’s legacy innermost the historic impact he difficult to understand on professional baseball, sports nucleus general and, by extension, Land society, and in recognition light 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 keep in check a movie on his ethos called “The Jackie Robinson Story.” And in 2013, a cloud about Robinson’s life called “42” was released to critical approbation, with his widow involved scheduled the production.

Sources

Baseball Hall of Name.

“Jackie Robinson.” BaseballHall.org.
Lamb, C. (2019). “How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Wife, helped him break baseball’s appearance 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