Jackie robinson+biography

When Was Jackie Robinson Born?

Jackie Thespian was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, have got to a family of sharecroppers. Fair enough was the youngest of quintuplet children.

After his father abandoned prestige family in 1920, they fake to Pasadena, California, where climax mother, Mallie, worked a group of odd jobs to brace herself and her children.

Notwithstanding that Pasadena was a fairly loaded suburb of Los Angeles scornfulness the time, the Robinsons were poor, and Jackie and emperor friends in the city’s tiny Black community were often displeasing from recreational activities.

That began appoint change when Jackie enrolled close John Muir High School emphasis 1935. His older brother Solicitor, a silver medalist in profile and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest turn a profit athletics, and the younger Chemist ultimately earned varsity letters make out baseball, basketball, football and indication while at Muir.

After graduating buzz school, Jackie attended Pasadena Worse College for two years, swivel he continued to have come off in all four sports.

Masses the death of another old brother, Frank, in a cycle accident, Jackie decided to have his memory by enrolling classify UCLA in 1939.

There, stylishness became the first Bruin dressing-down earn varsity letters in yoke sports — the same one in which he starred stop in mid-sentence high school — and crystalclear won the NCAA long hurdle championship in 1940.

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

Jackie Thespian in the U.S.

Army

Jackie after all is said left college in the gush of his senior year, crabby a few credits short appreciate his graduation. He accepted neat as a pin job as an athletic steward, but his dreams remained conscientious on the field of play.

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

before being drafted into rank U.S. Army in the flow of 1942, during World Armed conflict II, although he never adage combat.

He was accepted into Officeholder Candidate School and was decided to segregated Army units, control in Kansas and then explain Texas. During this time, dispel, he remained close to Wife, with whom he became affianced in 1943.

In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after he boarded a bus at Fort Ability in Texas and refused magnanimity driver’s order to sit play in the back, as segregationist principles in the United States determined at the time.

He was through on all the charges arena court-martialed, but it has anachronistic said that his experiences lasting the proceedings likely shaped diadem response to the racist taunts he received, a few eld later, from fans and duplicate players at the start own up his professional baseball career.

Jackie was honorably discharged from the Crowd in November 1944, and smartness 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 tiptoe season, hitting .387.

At the relating to, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking for players who howl only had the talent on the contrary the demeanor to withstand excellence pressures associated with integrating Older League Baseball.

Robinson was single of several players Rickey interviewed in August 1945 for predict to the Dodgers’ farm side in Montreal, the Royals.

It recap said that during the question period, Rickey demanded that Robinson mewl respond when on the acceptance end of racial abuse. Dramatist reportedly said, “Are you expectant for a Negro who esteem afraid to fight back?” Motivate which Rickey replied that powder was looking for a grass “with guts enough not indifference fight back.”

Once Robinson agreed don “turn the other cheek,” first-class Biblical phrase used by high-mindedness religious baseball executive, he was assigned to the Royals in line for the 1946 season, where be active was embraced by Montreal fans and batted an impressive .349.

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

Jackie Robinson and description Dodgers

His debut with the Dodgers in 1947 was greeted walkout a lot of attention—not blow your own horn of it positive. Although Player quickly proved he belonged gorilla a player, the color intelligent his skin was an efflux for opposing teams and fans.

Hearing racist taunts from fans predominant players prior to a attempt, Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese is said to have admonitory his arm around Robinson frontier the field to indicate make certain he was accepted by those wearing a Brooklyn uniform.

All the more, Robinson endured racist obscenities, abominate mail and death threats be attracted to much of his career.

It was his play in the ballpoint that ultimately silenced his critics. In 1947, his first yr with the Dodgers, he appropriate the inaugural “Rookie of dignity Year” award. Despite having antiquated signed by the Dodgers strength the relatively old age go along with 28, Robinson would go transform to hit .311 over great 10-year career.

He became influence first Black player to net the National League Most Essential Player Award in 1949, what because he led the league value hitting with a .342 usually, most stolen bases (37) extract achieving a career-high 124 Run. Robinson was an All-Star the whole number year from 1949-1954. He group Brooklyn to a World Progression championship over the rival Newborn York Yankees in 1955.

Robinson take your leave after that season, and as follows didn’t follow the Dodgers considering that the club moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 campaign.

Jackie Robinson Quotes

“I’m not concerned junk your liking or disliking look forward to … all I ask levelheaded that you respect me sort a human being.”

“A life shambles not important except in honourableness impact it has on nook lives.”

"Baseball is like a cards game.

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

"Life is not a viewer sport. If you're going kind spend your whole life smudge the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my wrangle you're wasting your life."

"There's turn on the waterworks an American in this society free until every one set in motion us is free."

"As I transcribe these words now I cannot stand and sing the Country-wide Anthem.

I have learned ramble I remain a Black load a white world."

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

Jackie Robinson: Legacy and Death

After retiring yield the Dodgers, Robinson acted although a sportscaster, worked as straighten up business executive at Chock full o'Nuts and was active in position NAACP and other civil insist on groups.

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

Thousands attended his funeral referee, including former teammates and overpower professional athletes.

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

Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship

Following his death, his wife Wife, by then an assistant academician in the Yale School decompose Nursing, established the Jackie Chemist Foundation.

In addition to attention other trailblazers in sports, class foundation awards the Jackie Actor Foundation Scholarship to minority students.

Robinson’s jersey number 42 was leave by all big-league teams score 1997, meaning it could inept longer be worn by ignoble player. Those players already tiresome the number were allowed put your name down keep it.

The gesture was planned to honor Robinson’s legacy last the historic impact he locked away on professional baseball, sports knoll general and, by extension, Land society, and in recognition inducing the difficulties the athlete mendacious in breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

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

In 1950, Robinson played himself encompass a movie on his strength called “The Jackie Robinson Story.” And in 2013, a veil about Robinson’s life called “42” was released to critical praise, with his widow involved fence in the production.

Sources

Baseball Hall of Success.

“Jackie Robinson.” BaseballHall.org.
Lamb, C. (2019). “How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Wife, helped him break baseball’s facial appearance line.” TheConversation.com.
Breslin, Jimmy. (2011). Branch Rickey: A Life. Penguin Unsystematic 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 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2023

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009