JACKIE ROBINSON

MRS. WASSON

• Became the 1st African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB)

• Started 1st base for Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947

• Played 10 seasons– 6 World Series– Dodgers World Champs in 1955– Selected for 6 consecutive All-Star Games 1949-1954– National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949

INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE…

Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson

• Born January 31, 1919

• Youngest of 5

• Middle name honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt (died 25 days before he was born)

BIRTH INFORMATION

• Parents: Jerry and Mallie Robinson, dad left family in 1920 (1 year old)

• Moved to Pasadena, California

• Mom worked odd jobs to support family

• Lived in poverty in an affluent area

• Joined a neighborhood gang, but his friend got him to leave

EARLY LIFE

• Married Rachel Isum in 1946– Met at UCLA

• 3 Children– Jackie, Jr. (died at age 25)– Sharon– David

FAMILY LIFE

High School

• Was encourage to pursue sports by older brother Mack (silver medalist at 1936 Summer Olympics)

• Lettered in 4 sports: football, basketball, track, and baseball

College

• 1st athlete to earn varsity letter in 4 sports

• 1938, won region’s Most Valuable Player for baseball

• Played football for semi-professional Honolulu Bears

SCHOOL YEARS

• Drafted to a segregated Army cavalry unit in Fort rile, Kansas in 1942

• 1944 - Court martialed for refusing to sit in back of bus– Was acquitted by all white panel of officers– Prohibited him from being deployed overseas

• Served as a coach for Army athletics

• Honorable discharge in November 1944

MILITARY CAREER

• Was athletic director at Sam Huston College in Austin, TX

• While at Sam Huston College was asked to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues– Contract $400 ($5,240 in 2014 dollars) per month

POST MILITARY

• 1946 – Montreal Royals Class AAA International League (Dodgers affiliate team)

• Very controversial in racial area like Florida– Not allowed to stay in team hotel– Some spring training events cancelled – Some games called off

MINOR LEAGUE CAREER

• 1947 – Called up to Dodgers at age 28

• Still racism– Some players sit out of games

• Ended when Manager Leo Durocher stood up for him– Threatened to trade players if they did not play

MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER

• Teams threatened to strike

• Ford Frick, National League President – Said striking players would be suspended– Caused rough playing towards Robinson

MORE RACISM IN MAJORS

• 1957 - Retired from baseball at age 37– Medical problems from diabetes (hard to control it in those

days)

• 1962 - Baseball Hall of Fame

• 1966 – 1972 TV analyst and commentator– 1st African-American TV sports analyst

• 1972 – Dodgers retired his uniform number 42

POST BASEBALL LIFE

• Son, Jackie Robinson Jr. died June 17, 1971– Automobile accident

• Jackie Robinson died October 24, 1972– Had heart disease, diabetes which made him almost

blind by middle age– Died of heart attack

DEATH

• 1997 - #42 retired throughout MLB– 1st time a jersey retired throughout a sport

RECOGNITION

Main entrance of New York Mets, Citi Field called “Jackie Robinson Rotunda”

Brookside park in Pasadena, California - #42 on center field wall

• April 15, 2004 – 1st “Jackie Robinson Day”– Initiated by Major League Baseball– An annual tradition– April 15 every player on every team wears #42

“JACKIE ROBINSON DAY”

• Great at all sports

• After retirement was vice president of personnel for a coffee company– 1st African-American VP of a major American

corporation

• Co-founded Freedom National Bank – black owned and operated bank in Harlem, NY

INTERESTING FACTS

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson• http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html• http://

mentalfloss.com/article/50059/42-facts-about-jackie-robinson

• http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813

• http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/jackie-robinson

RESOURCES