Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century. Born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919. Robinson grew up in Pasadena, California, and was an outstanding high school and collegiate athlete in track and field, basketball, football, and baseball. He became a national football star at UCLA before being drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. Robinson continued playing sports in the military, despite many obstacles brought by segregation. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and found work returning to baseball with the great Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. Robinson played his first regular season home game with the Monarchs on May 6, 1945., His solid play during the grueling Negro Leagues season caught the eye of scouts from the Brooklyn Dodgers in Major League Baseball. Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey had decided a few years before to find the right player to break baseball's long standing color barrier. The 26-year-old Robinson became the choice over more famous black baseball stars and was signed to a minor league contract at the end of the 1945 season. He triumphantly took the field with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, a moment in time that would change America's National Pastime and America too!, Robinson's outstanding first season earned him inaugural Rookie of the Year honors. He won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949 and helped lead the Dodgers to a World Series title in 1955. Robinson's barrier breaking role would open the door for other talented African American and Latin players to play in Major League Baseball. Robinson played 10 years with the Dodgers and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962., Born: January 32, 1919 - Cairo, GA , Died: October 24, 1972 - Stanford, CT , Batted: Right , Threw: Right , Primary Position: 2nd Baseman