Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Shortly after his birth, his father abandoned his family. Her mother, Mallie Robinson, decided to move the family to Pasadena California in 1920. Growing up in Pasadena, Jackie and her minority friends felt the sting of prejudice as they were excluded from the various recreational activities offered to young people from the area because of the color. of his skin. In 1935, Jackie attended John Muir High School and it was here that he was recognized for his talent for sports. He loved all sports and being able to play them in high school, he joined almost every team the school had to offer. On the baseball team he played shortstop and catcher. On the football team he played quarterback and guard for the basketball team. Jackie won awards for the long jump in track and field. In 1936 he won the junior men’s singles championship at the Pacific Coast Annual Negro Tennis Tournament. In 1936 he, too, was named to Pomona’s annual all-star team. It is interesting to note that 2 other players on the team were Ted Williams and Bob Lemon who became members of the elite Baseball Hall of Fame.
After high school, Jackie attended Pasadena Junior College and continued to play baseball, basketball, soccer, and track. After graduating from this 2-year university, Jackie decided to enter the University of California, Los Angeles. Jackie was the first athlete in UCLA history to earn varsity letters in four sports; baseball, basketball, soccer and track. Robinson dropped out of college before receiving his degree to take a job with a government agency as an assistant athletic director at the National Youth Administration in Atascadero, California.
In 1945, Jackie began his professional baseball career in the Negro League playing for the Kansas City Monarchs. He played 47 games that season at shortstop. He hit a .387 average with 5 home runs and 13 stolen bases. He was also named to the Negro League All-Star team. During this season, Jackie tried out for the Boston Red Sox, but was so humiliated by racial slurs that he abruptly quit tryouts. On October 23, 1945, Jackie Robinson signed with the International League farm club, the Montreal Royals, the first black player since the 1880s. The Royals were part of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. Jackie played his first game in the season opener on April 18, 1946 against the Jersey City Giants. That year, Robinson leads the International League with a .349 batting average and a .985 fielding percentage. He was also named the league’s Most Valuable Player that season.
In the 1947 season, Jackie Robinson was called up to the Major League Baseball team of the Dodgers. Robinson’s achievement in breaking baseball’s color barrier came at a price. During games, he had to endure racial slurs from members of the opposing team and from fans in the stands. Peewee Reese, who was Robinson’s teammate, came to Jackie’s aid during one of these confrontations. Reese put her arm around Jackie’s shoulders and said, “You can hate a man for any number of reasons. Color isn’t one of them.” Jackie received the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year award. Jackie Robinson played his last major league game with the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 10, 1956.
In addition to the awards and accomplishments already mentioned, Jackie was a 6-time All-Star, 1-time World Series Champion, and National League MVP. He was also named to Major League Baseball’s All-Century team. His career stats were also quite impressive with a .311 batting average, 1,518 hits, 137 home runs, 734 earned runs, and 197 stolen bases. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the first black player in history, and in 1972 his number 42 jersey was retired by every major league team. Jackie Robinson died of a heart attack in Stamford Connecticut on October 24, 1972. He was 53 years old.
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