Robinson changed course of history forever, not just in baseball
February 23, 2009
Filed under Baseball, Sports
Aaron Lewis
Staff Writer
Jackie Robinson opened the door for African-Americans throughout the country.
Before making his debut in the Major Leagues, Robinson was a four-sport athlete at UCLA. Robinson played football, basketball, baseball and ran track from 1939-1941. In 1985, UCLA named its baseball field Jackie Robinson field in honor of its former star.
In 1942, Jackie Robinson was drafted into the military. He did not see any action during WWII. He was honorably discharged in 1944. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman ordered the military be integrated.
In 1945, Jackie Robinson played baseball for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues. At the time, only whites could play in the majors. After the season, Robinson signed with the then Brooklyn Dodgers. When Robinson signed with the Dodgers, owner Branch Rickey hurled racial insults at Robinson to see if he would fight back. Rickey said he wanted a Negro “with enough guts not to fight back.”
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson went on to win the inaugural National League Rookie of the Year award, after hitting .297 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI to go along with 29 stolen bases, 31 doubles, and 5 triples in 151 games. The National League Rookie of the Year award has been named after Jackie Robinson.
In 1949, Robinson won the National League MVP. That season, Robinson hit a career high .342 with 16 home runs to go along with a career 124 RBI. Robinson also added a career high in stolen bases with 37, 38 doubles and a career high in triples with 12 in 156 games.
Robinson helped the Dodgers win their first ever World Series over the New York Yankees in 1955, his next to final season. 1955 was the worst year of Robinson’s career. In 105 games, he hit .256 with 8 home runs and 36 RBI to go along with 12 stolen bases, 6 doubles, and 2 triples.
After the 1956 season, Jackie Robinson retired from baseball. He ended his career with a .311 career average, 137 home runs, 734 RBI, 273 doubles, 54 triples, 947 runs scored, 1,518 hits and 197 stolen bases. This career lead him into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. Robinson became the first African-American in the Hall of Fame. By the time Robinson was inducted, every Major League Baseball team had at least one African-American on their roster.
Robinson attended the March on Washington in August of 1963. He was active in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.
In 1972, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who moved from Brooklyn in 1957, retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42. Robinson’s final public appearance was during the 1972 World Series. He said his wish was to see an African -American manager in the Major Leagues. In 1975, Frank Robinson became the first African-American manager in the majors, when the Cleveland Indians named him player-manager.
Jackie Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53, mainly from the complications of diabetes. His impact is felt throughout the baseball world in the great players today. Players such as Ryan Howard, the Upton brothers, B.J. and Justin, Torii Hunter, C.C. Sabathia, and Ken Griffey, Jr., owe their ability to play in the majors to Jackie Robinson.
In 1997, to honor the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s first game, Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42. In 2007, Major League Baseball began observing Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, allowing a certain player or players from each team wear No. 42 for that day.
Without Jackie Robinson, not only would baseball not be as good, but our country would not be as great as it is today.
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