Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson. I INTRODUCTION Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), American athlete who became a civil rights icon when he broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947. Fifty years later, in recognition of his great impact on the sport and on American society, baseball officially retired Robinson's number (42) throughout the league. II EARLY LIFE Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of sharecroppers. After his father left the family, Robinson's mother moved with her five children to Pasadena, California. Robinson, a high school sports star, attended Pasadena Junior College (now Pasadena City College) and then won a scholarship to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). There he demonstrated exceptional athletic ability, becoming the first UCLA student athlete to win varsity letters in four sports--football, basketball, baseball, and track. In 1941 Robinson left college and shortly thereafter enlisted in the United States Army. He graduated from Officer Candidate School and became a second lieutenant in what was then a segregated army. Troubled by the mistreatment of black soldiers in his unit, Robinson protested the U.S. Army's discriminatory practices. Military police at Fort Hood, Texas, arrested Robinson when he refused the driver's order to move to the back of a bus. A court-martial hearing acquitted Robinson and he received an honorable discharge in 1944, leaving with the rank of first lieutenant. III BASEBALL CAREER Although Robinson may have had even greater potential in other sports, the best place for black athletes to earn a living in the 1940s was baseball. Robinson began his professional career in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs, one of the leading teams of the Negro Leagues. A standout player, he was then recruited and signed by Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers). Rickey was a baseball innovator who had decided to challenge the league's whites-only color barrier. He assigned Robinson to the minor league Montréal Royals for the 1946 season. Robinson was a star in Montréal and after one season he was called up to the big leagues. When he made his Brooklyn debut on April 15, 1947, Robinson became the first black player to compete in the major leagues in the 20th century. (Several black players played on professional teams in the 19th century before club owners agreed to an informal ban on signing such players.) Breaking baseball's color barrier was a serious challenge, and Robinson met fierce resistance from many players and fans. Warned by Rickey not to acknowledge insults or retaliate in any way, Robinson endured malicious taunts and racial slurs shouted from the stands and opposing dugouts. Some teams even talked about boycotting their games with the Dodgers, although none did. Some rival players went beyond verbal abuse in an effort to intimidate Robinson. They threw pitches at his head, spat on him when he slid into a base, and attempted to injure him with the spikes on their shoes. Robinson also received anonymous death threats that warned him not to play or he would face bodily harm. With the support of Rickey and the encouragement of his teammates, the determined Robinson weathered these attacks. Through all the adversity he hit .297 and led the National League (NL) with 29 stolen bases. The Dodgers won the 1947 NL pennant and Robinson was named the rookie of the year in the major leagues. The award was later renamed in his honor. Robinson became known for his graceful fielding, timely hitting, and aggressive base running. Over his ten major league seasons he executed one of baseball's rarest and most exciting plays--stealing home--19 times. In 1949 Robinson was voted the NL's most valuable player (MVP) after he produced a .342 batting average with 37 steals and 124 runs batted in. His skill and dramatic flair increased Brooklyn's attendance and helped make the club one of the best teams in baseball. The Dodgers played in six World Series during Robinson's ten seasons and in 1955 finally won their first championship title. Robinson's success with the Dodgers opened the way for other black players to sign major league contracts. Not until 1959, however, did all 16 major league clubs have at least one black ballplayer on their roster. At the same time, Robinson had a similar influence on other professional sports and on racial attitudes in workplaces and communities across the country. IV RETIREMENT Robinson retired from baseball after the 1956 season rather than accept a trade to another team. He finished with a career batting average of .311, despite missing a number of prime years because of his military service and baseball's racial policies. Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the first black player to receive the honor. Robinson wanted to become the first black man to manage a major league team, but no club was willing to hire him. The experience left him bitter for much of the rest of his life. After leaving baseball, Robinson became vice president of a restaurant chain in New York City. He also promoted black business enterprises in New York's Harlem neighborhood and became a leading advocate for black civil rights. From 1964 to 1968 Robinson served as special assistant for civil rights to Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York. Robinson starred in the motion picture The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) and was the author, with Alfred Duckett, of I Never Had It Made (1972). He died October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut. The epitaph that appears on Robinson's gravestone is one that he wrote himself. It reads: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Contributed By: Thomas R. Heitz Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.