Biography

Jackie Robinson's storied life began on January 31, 1919 when he became the son of Mallie and Jerry Robinson. His parents like the majority of Southern blacks were sharecroppers and had trouble gaining enough profit to pay off their endless cycle of debts to their landowner. Jerry cracked under the pressure of paying debts while providing for the family and left his wife and kids. Mallie decided to leave Cairo, George and to live with family in California. Life in California was an improvement over the Deep South but it also presented some new problems. The lack of racial diversity made racism an issue and for the first time Jackie could tell his family was different from everyone else around. His mother showed him how to deal with this form of racism by standing her ground when her neighbors tried to get her out of their tiny apartment. Jackie also fell into trouble by hanging out with the wrong crowd as a teen, but family friends helped direct Jackie towards athletics.

Jackie enrolled at UCLA where he excelled at basketball, track, football, and baseball. He was the first student at UCLA to be on all four-varsity teams. Although he considered his education important he realized that the opportunities for black athletes where superior to those of the educated. While attending UCLA he met his future wife, Rachel, who was a consistently there for Jackie when he needed her the most. He left UCLA before his senior year and played semi-professional football for the Honolulu Bears. He also volunteered his baseball talents to entertain underprivileged kids.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor Jackie returned to the mainland where he signed on with the Los Angles Red Devils, a semi-professional basketball franchise. Soon though Jackie found him self being sent to Kansas to begin basic training for the war. It was through his military journey that he crossed the paths with the already proven black boxer Joe Louis. Joe used his popularity to help young black men become officers in the United States military. In 1943, at the age of 24, Jackie graduated from officer training. He faced discrimination every step of the way in the military. He was not allowed in white only locations on base. Jackie began is fight against racism by not allowing ignorance to be an excuse for racist members of the military. He was honorably discharged in the 1944. He was ready to complete his destiny as the chosen one. Sam Lacey was the unsung hero of the Jackie Robinson story. Along with Wendell Smith, Lacey confronted Jackie about the possibilities of paving the way for the desegregation of baseball. Lacey pressured Major League Baseball to open the door to a new pool of talent that was hiding in the Negro Leagues. Lacey's press coverage about Jackie caught the eye of the daring president of the Dodgers, Branch Rickey. Jackie's baseball Journey was started, and he would prove Lacey and Smith's prediction correct, he was the man to lead the way for his sport and his race.

The reason Jackie Robinson's story is so important isn't because other sports didn't have ground breakers when it came to desegregation but no other league had their first African-American athlete play at such a high level. He fought racism every step of the way and used his fame to write silent protest through the form of memos to presidents and other congressional leaders during the high days of the civil rights movement. In 1971 Jackie lost his son Jackie Jr. and one year later Jackie would be buried as well. He was a successful father of three and a loving husband. To the nation, he was a great baseball player but to the African American community he was so much more, he was a leader, courageous, and a role model. The fact that no other player will ever wear Jackie's number again is only a reminder of how important this hall-of-famer was to a nation struggling to deal with racial discrimination.

Professional Profile

Jack Roosevelt Robinson Born: January 31, 1919, Cairo, GA Died: October 24, 1972, Stamford, CT Batted: right Threw: right Team: Brooklyn Dodgers Elected to Hall of Fame: 1962 124 votes of 160 ballots cast: 77.50%

Achievements

High School and College Achieved four-letterman status at John Muir Technical High School Named Most Valuable Junior College Player in Southern California in 1938 Transferred to UCLA 1939-1940 Won the NCAA broad jump title at 25' 6 1/2" Became UCLA's first four-letter man Inducted into UCLA's Hall of Fame on June 10, 1984. Career Broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 by becoming the first African-American player Named National League Rookie of the Year in 1947 Led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949 Led second basemen in double plays 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952 Selected as the National League MVP in 1949 Won the 1949 batting title with a .342 National League All-Star Team, 1949-1954 Led the Dodgers to six World Series and one World Series Championship Life After Baseball Starred in autobiographical movie"The Jackie Robinson Story" in 1950. Involved with numerous activities and was on the NAACP board of directors from 1957-1967. Jackie Robinson Construction Company in 1970 was established to build housing for families with low incomes.

The Event That Changed The World:The Integration of Baseball