Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson at a Glance
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 ? October 24, 1972) was the first African American Major League Baseball (MLB) player of the modern era.Lamb, p. 6. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As the first black man to openly play in the major leagues since the 1880s, he was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated African-Americans to the Negro leagues for six decades. The example of his character and unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation...
FIRST CLASS CITIZENSHIP
NEW Jackie Robinson Book Published
First Class Citizenship: The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson
The Civil Rights Letters of Jackie Robinson edited by professor and scholar Michael G. Long has just been published by Times Books. For those who only know about Jackie Robinson's accomplishments on the baseball field, this work reveals a less heralded, but no less significant contribution to Civil Rights as Robinson used his position of prominence after leaving baseball to challenge the status quo and push the biggest leaders of his era to stand up for justice and equality for all people.
Jackie Robinson Stats
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 204 lb.
Born: January 31, 1919 in Cairo, GA
Schools: University of California, Los Angeles
Signed as a Free Agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. (All Transactions)
Debut: April 15, 1947
Final Game: September 30, 1956
Inducted into the Hall of Fame by BBWAA as Player in 1962 (124/160 ballots).
Lifetime Batting Average: .311
Hits: 1518
Stolen Bases: 197
All-Star Games Voted: 6
Lots of reasons to love Jackie Robinson
* According to a poll conducted by Jimmie Fidler in 1947, Robinson was the second most popular man in the country, behind Bing Crosby. [28]* In March 1984, President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded Robinson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
* In 1987, Major League Baseball renamed the Rookie of the Year Award the Jackie Robinson Award in his honor.
* On April 15, 1997, Jackie Robinson's #42 was retired by Major League Baseball, meaning that no future player on any major league team could wear it. Players wearing #42 at the time, some of whom said they did so as a tribute to Robinson, were allowed to continue wearing it, thereby grandfathering the number's retirement. The only player currently wearing the number is New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.
* In 1999, he was named by Time Magazine on its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.[29]
* In 2000, he ranked number 44 on The Sporting News's list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
* On October 29, 2003, the United States Congress posthumously awarded Robinson the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award the Congress can bestow. Robinson's widow accepted the award in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on March 2, 2005.
* At the November 2006 groundbreaking for a new New York Mets ballpark, Citi Field, scheduled to open in 2009, it was announced that the main entrance, modeled on the one in Brooklyn's old Ebbets Field, will be called the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Additionally, Mets owner Fred Wilpon said that the Mets and Citigroup would work with the Jackie Robinson Foundation to create a Jackie Robinson Museum and Learning Center in lower Manhattan, as well as fund scholarships for "young people who live by and embody Jackie's ideals."[30]
* On August 20, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced that Jackie Robinson will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame this December 5, 2007 located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento.
Great Jackie Robinson stuff from Amazon
"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
Quick, what do you think of Jackie Robinson?
"There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free."
Spotlight Jersey
Brooklyn Dodgers Jackie Robinson #42 Throwback Jersey - Large
Amazon Price: $274.99 (as of 11/16/2009)![]()
Go Dodger Blue!
Great Books on Amazon
Links You Should Know About
- Official Web site of Jackie Robinson
- The Official Site
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- The official site of the Dodgers
- The Jackie Robinson Foundation
- Find out how you can give to a worthy cause
- Pee Wee Reese
- Find out more about the player Pee Wee Reese and his relationship with Jackie Robinson
Are you in the Jackie Robinson Fan Club?
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