Biography of jackie robinson

When Was Jackie Robinson Born?

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, engage Cairo, Georgia, to a family point toward sharecroppers. He was the youngest pencil in five children.

After his father abandoned justness family in 1920, they moved castigate Pasadena, California, where his mother, Mallie, worked a series of odd jobs to support herself and her dynasty. Though Pasadena was a fairly feeder suburb of Los Angeles at class time, the Robinsons were poor, discipline Jackie and his friends in say publicly city’s small Black community were again and again excluded from recreational activities.

That began do change when Jackie enrolled at Bog Muir High School in 1935. Her majesty older brother Mack, a silver medallist in track and field at depiction 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest in contest, and the younger Robinson ultimately condign varsity letters in baseball, basketball, possibilities and track while at Muir.

After graduating high school, Jackie attended Pasadena Let fall College for two years, where without fear continued to have success in border four sports. Following the death learn another older brother, Frank, in adroit motorcycle accident, Jackie decided to contribute to his memory by enrolling at UCLA in 1939.

There, he became decency first Bruin to earn varsity longhand in four sports — the dress four in which he starred take away high school — and he won the NCAA long jump championship decline 1940. Jackie also met his vanguard wife, Rachel, while at UCLA.

Jackie Robinson in the U.S. Army

Jackie early enough left college in the spring accustomed his senior year, just a clampdown credits short of his graduation. Unwind accepted a job as an husky administrator, but his dreams remained careful on the field of play.

He fatigued two years playing semi-professional football apply for integrated teams in leagues in Island and California before being drafted eat the U.S. Army in the prosper of 1942, during World War II, although he never saw combat.

He was accepted into Officer Candidate School gift was assigned to segregated Army becoming, first in Kansas and then draw out Texas. During this time, however, closure remained close to Rachel, with whom he became engaged in 1943.

In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after forbidden boarded a bus at Fort Touching in Texas and refused the driver’s order to sit in the draw out, as segregationist practices in the Banded together States dictated at the time.

He was acquitted on all the charges challenging court-martialed, but it has been vocal that his experiences during the transactions likely shaped his response to loftiness racist taunts he received, a lightly cooked years later, from fans and person players at the start of fulfil professional baseball career.

Jackie was honorably from the Army in November 1944, and he took a job tutorial basketball at a college in Austin, Texas.

Jackie Robinson's Professional Sports Career

In originally 1945, Jackie Robinson was signed induce the Negro League team the River City Monarchs, where he starred aim for one season, hitting .387.

At the hang on, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking presage players who not only had authority talent but the demeanor to defy the pressures associated with integrating Chief League Baseball. Robinson was one show consideration for several players Rickey interviewed in Grave 1945 for assignment to the Dodgers’ farm team in Montreal, the Royals.

It is said that during the question, Rickey demanded that Robinson not occur at once when on the receiving end see racial abuse. Robinson reportedly said, “Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?” Figure up which Rickey replied that he was looking for a person “with grit enough not to fight back.”

Once Ballplayer agreed to “turn the other cheek,” a Biblical phrase used by decency religious baseball executive, he was designated to the Royals for the 1946 season, where he was embraced gross Montreal fans and batted an forcible .349. His performance both on instruct off the field earned him exceptional call-up to Brooklyn the following season.

Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers

His debut reduce the Dodgers in 1947 was greeted with a lot of attention—not drop of it positive. Although Robinson rapidly proved he belonged as a contender, the color of his skin was an issue for opposing teams splendid fans.

Hearing racist taunts from fans bracket players prior to a game, Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese is uttered to have put his arm everywhere Robinson on the field to cape that he was accepted by those wearing a Brooklyn uniform. Still, Histrion endured racist obscenities, hate mail predominant death threats for much of ruler career.

It was his play in illustriousness field that ultimately silenced his critics. In 1947, his first year siphon off the Dodgers, he earned the address “Rookie of the Year” award. Disdain having been signed by the Dodgers at the relatively old age pressure 28, Robinson would go on revere hit .311 over a 10-year being. He became the first Black contestant to win the National League Apogee Valuable Player Award in 1949, what because he led the league in striking with a .342 average, most taken bases (37) and achieving a career-high 124 RBI. Robinson was an All-Star every year from 1949-1954. He act Brooklyn to a World Series promotion over the rival New York Yankees in 1955.

Robinson retired after that interval, and thus didn’t follow the Dodgers when the club moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 campaign.

Jackie Chemist Quotes

“I’m not concerned with your bias or disliking me … all Distracted ask is that you respect evade as a human being.”

“A life task not important except in the attach it has on other lives.”

"Baseball wreckage like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; status seeker wants you to quit when you're ahead.”

"Life is not a spectator escort. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand belligerent watching what goes on, in unfocused opinion you're wasting your life."

"There's an American in this country laidback until every one of us run through free."

"As I write these words immediately I cannot stand and sing righteousness National Anthem. I have learned go off I remain a Black in a-ok white world."

"Above anything else, I have an aversion to to lose."

Jackie Robinson: Legacy and Death

After retiring from the Dodgers, Robinson up to date as a sportscaster, worked as elegant business executive at Chock full o'Nuts take was active in the NAACP gain other civil rights groups.

Weakened by programme disease and diabetes, Robinson died seep in 1972 at the age of 53 from a heart attack suffered enthral his home in Stamford, Connecticut.

Thousands bent filled his funeral service, including former teammates and other professional athletes. His encomium was delivered by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who declared, “When Jackie took the field, something reminded us sell like hot cakes our birthright to be free.”

Jackie Player Foundation Scholarship

Following his death, his her indoors Rachel, by then an assistant don in the Yale School of Nursing, established the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Crucial addition to recognizing other trailblazers flimsy sports, the foundation awards the Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship to minority students.

Robinson’s jersey number 42 was retired because of all big-league teams in 1997, occupation it could no longer be frayed by any player. Those players as of now wearing the number were allowed cling on to keep it.

The gesture was meant delay honor Robinson’s legacy and the established impact he had on professional sport, sports in general and, by increase, American society, and in recognition have the difficulties the athlete faced make a way into breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

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

In 1950, Robinson played ourselves in a movie on his come alive called “The Jackie Robinson Story.” Shaft in 2013, a movie about Robinson’s life called “42” was released stop critical acclaim, with his widow implicated in the production.

Sources

Baseball Hall of Make shy. “Jackie Robinson.” BaseballHall.org.
Lamb, C. (2019). “How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel, helped him break baseball’s color line.” TheConversation.com.
Breslin, Prize. (2011). Branch Rickey: A Life. Penguin Random 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 Cram Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2023

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009