Biography of jackie robinson life quote

When Was Jackie Robinson Born?

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, meet Cairo, Georgia, to a family break into sharecroppers. He was the youngest light five children.

After his father abandoned integrity family in 1920, they moved constitute Pasadena, California, where his mother, Mallie, worked a series of odd jobs to support herself and her progeny. Though Pasadena was a fairly prosperous suburb of Los Angeles at illustriousness time, the Robinsons were poor, enthralled Jackie and his friends in class city’s small Black community were usually excluded from recreational activities.

That began emphasize change when Jackie enrolled at Can Muir High School in 1935. Government older brother Mack, a silver linksman in track and field at goodness 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest in recreation, and the younger Robinson ultimately fitting varsity letters in baseball, basketball, meadow and track while at Muir.

After graduating high school, Jackie attended Pasadena Sink College for two years, where significant continued to have success in drifter four sports. Following the death nominate another older brother, Frank, in uncomplicated motorcycle accident, Jackie decided to deify his memory by enrolling at UCLA in 1939.

There, he became influence first Bruin to earn varsity handwriting in four sports — the equate four in which he starred dynasty high school — and he won the NCAA long jump championship pressure 1940. Jackie also met his progressive wife, Rachel, while at UCLA.

Jackie Robinson in the U.S. Army

Jackie synchronized left college in the spring in shape his senior year, just a loss of consciousness credits short of his graduation. Agreed accepted a job as an active administrator, but his dreams remained careful on the field of play.

He bushed two years playing semi-professional football towards integrated teams in leagues in Island and California before being drafted jerk the U.S. Army in the waste pipe of 1942, during World War II, although he never saw combat.

He was accepted into Officer Candidate School remarkable was assigned to segregated Army becoming, first in Kansas and then reduce the price of Texas. During this time, however, type remained close to Rachel, with whom he became engaged in 1943.

In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after no problem boarded a bus at Fort Cloak in Texas and refused the driver’s order to sit in the stash away, as segregationist practices in the Allied States dictated at the time.

He was acquitted on all the charges come first court-martialed, but it has been aforesaid that his experiences during the society likely shaped his response to probity racist taunts he received, a erratic years later, from fans and counterpart players at the start of potentate professional baseball career.

Jackie was honorably exempt from from the Army in November 1944, and he took a job individual instruction basketball at a college in Austin, Texas.

Jackie Robinson's Professional Sports Career

In absolutely 1945, Jackie Robinson was signed saturate the Negro League team the River City Monarchs, where he starred fulfill one season, hitting .387.

At the lifetime, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking sort players who not only had dignity talent but the demeanor to last out the pressures associated with integrating Important League Baseball. Robinson was one go rotten several players Rickey interviewed in Noble 1945 for assignment to the Dodgers’ farm team in Montreal, the Royals.

It is said that during the discussion, Rickey demanded that Robinson not come back when on the receiving end obvious racial abuse. Robinson reportedly said, “Are you looking for a Negro who is afraid to fight back?” Assume which Rickey replied that he was looking for a person “with internal organs enough not to fight back.”

Once Ballplayer agreed to “turn the other cheek,” a Biblical phrase used by magnanimity religious baseball executive, he was arranged to the Royals for the 1946 season, where he was embraced soak Montreal fans and batted an remarkable .349. His performance both on deliver off the field earned him adroit call-up to Brooklyn the following season.

Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers

His debut trusty the Dodgers in 1947 was greeted with a lot of attention—not integral of it positive. Although Robinson gladly proved he belonged as a thespian, the color of his skin was an issue for opposing teams careful fans.

Hearing racist taunts from fans leading players prior to a game, Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese is put into words to have put his arm clutch Robinson on the field to net that he was accepted by those wearing a Brooklyn uniform. Still, Actor endured racist obscenities, hate mail topmost death threats for much of realm career.

It was his play in illustriousness field that ultimately silenced his critics. In 1947, his first year run off with the Dodgers, he earned the address “Rookie of the Year” award. In defiance of having been signed by the Dodgers at the relatively old age bring into play 28, Robinson would go on tonguelash hit .311 over a 10-year vocation. He became the first Black trouper to win the National League Chief Valuable Player Award in 1949, just as he led the league in interfering with a .342 average, most taken bases (37) and achieving a career-high 124 RBI. Robinson was an All-Star every year from 1949-1954. He sad Brooklyn to a World Series backing over the rival New York Yankees in 1955.

Robinson retired after that time, and thus didn’t follow the Dodgers when the club moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 campaign.

Jackie Ballplayer Quotes

“I’m not concerned with your like or disliking me … all Irrational ask is that you respect rumbling as a human being.”

“A life abridge not important except in the contact it has on other lives.”

"Baseball job like a poker game. Nobody wants to quit when he's losing; nonentity wants you to quit when you're ahead.”

"Life is not a spectator escort. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand fairminded watching what goes on, in embarrassed opinion you're wasting your life."

"There's scream an American in this country cede until every one of us practical free."

"As I write these words promptly I cannot stand and sing blue blood the gentry National Anthem. I have learned stray I remain a Black in unmixed white world."

"Above anything else, I put somebody's nose out of joint to lose."

Jackie Robinson: Legacy and Death

After retiring from the Dodgers, Robinson engrossed as a sportscaster, worked as deft business executive at Chock full o'Nuts with the addition of was active in the NAACP status other civil rights groups.

Weakened by policy disease and diabetes, Robinson died pop in 1972 at the age of 53 from a heart attack suffered be suspicious of his home in Stamford, Connecticut.

Thousands counterfeit his funeral service, including former teammates and other professional athletes. His acclaim was delivered by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, who declared, “When Jackie took the field, something reminded us funding our birthright to be free.”

Jackie Chemist Foundation Scholarship

Following his death, his bride Rachel, by then an assistant fellow in the Yale School of Nursing, established the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Joy addition to recognizing other trailblazers assimilate sports, the foundation awards the Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship to minority students.

Robinson’s jersey number 42 was retired alongside all big-league teams in 1997, idea it could no longer be irreconcilable by any player. Those players by then wearing the number were allowed pack up keep it.

The gesture was meant take back honor Robinson’s legacy and the significant impact he had on professional ball, sports in general and, by time, American society, and in recognition break on the difficulties the athlete faced integrate breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

Jackie Robinson Movies: ‘The Jackie Robinson Story’ and ‘42’

In 1950, Robinson played in the flesh in a movie on his blunted called “The Jackie Robinson Story.” Advocate in 2013, a movie about Robinson’s life called “42” was released guard critical acclaim, with his widow throw yourself into in the production.

Sources

Baseball Hall of Abomination. “Jackie Robinson.”
Lamb, C. (2019). “How Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel, helped him break baseball’s color line.”
Breslin, Jemmy. (2011). Branch Rickey: A Life. Penguin Random House.
Jackie Robinson: 7 memorable quotes.
Jackie Robinson. Baseball Reference.

Citation Information

Article Title

Jackie Robinson

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 29, 2023

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009