Who is Pee Wee Reese

One of the things Reese is most famous for was his ardent support for his teammate Jackie Robinson, the first modern African American player in the major leagues, especially in the rookie's difficult first years.

Reese refused to sign a petition that threatened a boycott if Robinson joined the team. When Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947 and traveled with them during their first road trip, he was heckled by fans in Cincinnati, Ohio. During pre-game infield practice, Reese, the captain of the team, went over to Robinson, engaged him in conversation, and put
his arm around his shoulder in a gesture of support which silenced the crowd. This gesture is depicted in a bronze sculpture of Reese and Robinson, created by sculptor William Behrends, that was placed at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, New York, and unveiled on November 1, 2005.

Throughout that difficult first year in the major leagues, Reese helped keep Robinson's morale up amid all the abuse. Their rapport soon led shortstop Reese and second baseman Robinson to become one of the most effective defensive pairs in the sport's history.

The friendship between Reese and Robinson is the subject of a popular 1990 children's book called Teammates, written by Peter Golenbock and with illustrations by Paul Bacon.

At Reese's funeral, Joe Black, another Major League Baseball black pioneer, said:

"Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the Majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a White guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, 'Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.' With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts."

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Birth name: Harold Henry Reese
Nickname: Pee Wee, The Little Colonel, The Captain
Birth date: July 23, 1918
Birth place: Ekron, Kentucky
Death date: August 14, 1999
Death place: Louisville, Kentucky

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 160 lbs

Wife: Dorothy Walton
Children: Mark and Barbara

Positions: Shortstop and Third Base
Teams: Brooklyn Dodgers (1940-1942 and 1946-1957), Los Angeles Dodgers (1958)
Uniform Number: 1 (Retired by the Dodgers.)
Threw: Right
Batted: Right

Did You Know?

Pee Wee Reese was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Contrary to popular belief, the nickname "Pee Wee" was given to him during his marble playing days, not due to his small stature.

Pee Wee was a Louisville city marbles champion at age 12.

Pee Wee spent three years in the Navy during World War II (1943-1945).

Reese finished in the top-10 in MVP balloting eight times (1946-1949, 1952, 1954-1956).

After his playing days, Reese became a broadcaster with CBS, NBC and the Cincinnati Reds, and later worked for Hillerich & Bradsby (makers of Louisville Slugger baseball bats).

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