Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the foremost African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era in 1947. Robinson's accomplishment has been recognized per retirement by each Major League team of his uniform number, 42.

Before the Major League
Natural around Cairo, Georgia, Robinson moved with his mother & sib to Pasadena, California in 1920, after his father deserted a personal. At a University of California, Los Angeles, he was a football, basketball, track, and baseball star in which he played using Kenny Washington, who would get one of a 1st melanise players in the National Football League since the early 1930s. Robinson too met his new married woman Rachel at UCLA. His brother Matthew "Mack" Robinson (1912-2000) competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, finishing second in the 200-meter dash behind Jesse Owens.

When allowing UCLA his senior year, Robinson enlisted in the US Army during World War II. He trained by having a segregated U.S. 761st Tank Battalion. Ab initio refused entry to Officer Candidate School, he fought for it and eventually was accepted, graduating as a second lieutenant. Piece step by step training at Fort Hood, Texas, Robinsin refused to go to a back of a bus, caring that the practice got recently been outlawed on military machine vehicles. He was court-martialed for insubordination, and never shipped intent on Europe by owning his unit. He received an honorable discharge inside 1944, after existence exonerated at the test by using 100% charges pink-slipped.

Jackie played baseball around 1944 for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League where he caught the eye of Clyde Sukeforth, a scout working for Branch Rickey.

The Dodgers
Branch Rickey was a club president & general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and experienced a secret goal of signing a Negro Leagues' top players to the team. Although there was there are no official ban around blacks in organised baseball, former tries at signing blacken baseball player got been thwarted by league officials & rival clubs it used to be that, and then Rickey operated undercover. His scouts were told that it were looking for players for a fresh tons-black league Rickey was forming; non possibly the scouts knew his confessedly objective.

Robinson drew national attention once Rickey selected him from either the listings of promising candidates & signed him. Inside 1946, Robinson was assigned to play for the Dodgers' minor league affiliate in Montreal, the Montreal Royals. Although that season was very tiring emotionally for Robinson, it was likewise the outstanding profits inside the city that treated him with all the uncivilized fan support that made a Canadian city a welcome refuge from either a mean harassment he experienced elsewhere.

Robinson was a slightly curious candidate to exist as the first black Major Leaguer in sixty years (see Moses Fleetwood Walker). Non just was he Twenty-seven (comparatively old for the prospect), he besides experienced the fiery temperament. When a select few felt his additional placed-mellow first mate Roy Campanella might have been a better candidate to face the required abuse, Rickey chose Robinson caring that Jackie's outspoken nature and severity would, in the long start, exist as extra beneficial for their drive than Campanella's proportional docility.

Robinson's debut at first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947 (he batted 0 for Iii) was one of a virtually all eagerly-awaited cases around baseball history, & one of a virtually all profound in the history of the U.S. civil rights movement. Although he played his entire greenhorn month ab initio base, Robinson spent virtually all of his career as a second baseman. He likewise played numerous games at third base and in the outfield.

In a period of that number 1 year, the abuse to which Robinson was subjected processed him came approximately losing his patience supplementary than another time. Numerous Dodgers were at first resistive to his presence. The class action of Fox players, mostly Southerners led by Dixie Walker, suggested they would strike rather than play alongside Robinson, but a mutiny was ended while Fox management informed a players it were welcome to locate employment elsewhere. He did keep around a trend lines of Kentucky-born shortstop Pee Wee Reese, who proved to exist as his nighest comrade on the team. the pair became a super effectual defensive combination as a result. Pittsburgh Pirate Hank Greenberg, the foremost major Jewish baseball star who had anti-semitic abuse, also gave Robinson encouragement.

Throughout a year, Robinson had considerable harassment from either each players & fans. A Philadelphia Phillies - encouraged by manager Ben Chapman- were particularly abusive. In their April 22 game against the Dodgers, it barracked him hard-hitting, calling him the "nigger" from the bench, telling him to "go back to the jungle." Rickey would late recall that "Chapman did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united 30 men." Baseball Commissioner A. B. "Happy" Chandler I admonished the Phillies but asked Robinson to pose for photographs with Chapman as a conciliatory gesture. Robinson didn't food waste, however a following session was belike hard for two participants.

Around Robinson's rookie season, he earned the major-league minimal remuneration of $5000. He played around 151 games, hit .297, & was a league leader within stolen bases with 29.

Robinson was awarded a Rookie of the Year award in 1947, and a Most Valuable Player award for the National League in 1949. He non merely contributed to Brooklyn pennants around both years, however his determination & hustle saved a Dodgers inside pennant races in 1950 and 1951 when they will otherwise use been eliminated very much quicker. Around 1955, though clearly on a downside of his career, Robinson would play a large role around leading the Brooklyn Dodgers to their 1st & sole Globe Series championship inside Brooklyn, inside a sevener gage triumph above the Up to date York Yankees.

Robinson's Major League career was fairly short. He did non enter a majors until he wwhen Twenty-eight, & was typically hurt as he aged. However around his prime, he was respected by each opposing team in the league.

Fallowing a 1956 year, Robinson was sold per Dodgers to the New York Giants (soon to get a San Francisco Giants.) Rather than report to the Giants, nonetheless, Robinson chose to retire at age 37. This low farther added to Robinson's growing disenchantment by owning a Dodgers, & particularly Walter O'Malley (who had forced Rickey out as General Manager) and manager Walter Alston.

Robinson was an exceptionally gifted & disciplined hitter, sustaining the career average of .311 and substantially additional walks than strikeouts. He played many defensive positions highly swell & was a virtually all aggressive & successful baserunner of his era; he was among the couple of players to "steal home" oftentimes[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_stbah.shtml], doing and then at least Xix documented days. By his talent & physical presence, he disrupted a concentration of pitchers, catchers and middle infielders. Robinson's overall talent wwhen such that he is typically cited as among a better players of his era. These are as swell ofttimes claimed that Robinson was one of the virtually all intelligent ballplayer ever, a claim that is well supported by his home plate discipline and defensive art. Robinson was repute a fierce rival in the confessedly feel: he never gave abreast a game in case his team was losing, pertinent that he would try all abretired to refrain from existence the survive human out for his side.

Post-Dodgers

Robinsin retired from either a game on January 5, 1957. He got wanted to manage or coach in the major leagues, but received there is no offers. He became the vice-president for the Wedge To the full O' Round the bend corporation instead, & served on the board of the NAACP till 1967, when he resigned because of the movement's deficiency of immature voices. Around 1960, he involved himself in the presidential election, campaigning first for Hubert Humphrey, and then meeting two Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy: citing his record on Civil Rights, Robinson supported Nixon. Fallowing Nixon was elected around 1968, Robinson wrote that he regretted the endorsement. He campaigned diligently for Humphrey around 1968.

He was inducted into a Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his number 1 season of eligibility, becoming a first African-Western and so honored. In June 4, 1972 the Dodgers retired his uniform number 42 alongside Roy Campanella (39) and Sandy Koufax (32). Robinsin manufactured his final public appearance on October 14, 1972 before Game 2 of the World Series in Cincinnati.

Robinson's final couple of years were marked by tragedy. Inside 1971, his sr. boy, Jackie, Jr., was flushed within an machine accident. Besides, a diabetes that plagued him in middle age experienced left him virtually blind & contributed to his severe heart troubles. Jackie Robinson died inside Stamford, Connecticut on October 24, 1972 and was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. For details, look at Jules Tygiel's book, ''Baseball's Neat Experiment.

Around 1997 (the Fiftieth anniversary of his major league debut), his number (42) was retired from either completely'' MLB teams. Inside 2004, Major League Baseball designated that April 15 each year would exist when marked as "Jackie Robinson Day" in all their ballparks.

In October 29, 2003, the United States Congress posthumously awarded Robinson the Congressional Gold Medal, a greatest award the Congress potty bestow. Robinson's widow woman accepted the award within a ceremony in the Capital Rotunda in March 2, 2005.