Biography of Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond. From this humble beginning would grow the first baseball player to break Major League Baseball's color barrier that segregated the sport for more than 50 years.

Growing up in a large, single-parent family, Jackie excelled early at all sports and learned to make his own way in life. At UCLA, Jackie became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football and track. In 1941, he was named to the All-American football team. Due to financial difficulties, he was forced to leave college, and eventually decided to enlist in the U.S. Army. After two years in the army, he had progressed to second lieutenant. Jackie's army career was cut short when he was court-martialed in relation to his objections with incidents of racial discrimination. In the end, Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge.

In 1945, Jackie played one season in the Negro Baseball League, traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. But greater challenges and achievements were in store for him. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation's preeminent sport, he courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South.

At the end of Robinson's rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had become National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average. In 1949, he was selected as the NL's Most Valuable player of the Year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success, Jackie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Jackie married Rachel Isum, a nursing student he met at UCLA, in 1946. As an African-American baseball player, Jackie was on display for the whole country to judge. Rachel and their three children, Jackie Jr., Sharon and David, provided Jackie with the emotional support and sense of purpose essential for bearing the pressure during the early years of baseball.

Jackie Robinson's life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history. In 1997, the world celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Jackie's breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. In doing so, we honored the man who stood defiantly against those who would work against racial equality and acknowledged the profound influence of one man's life on the American culture. On the date of Robinson's historic debut, all Major League teams across the nation celebrated this milestone. Also that year, on United States Post Office honored Robinson by making him the subject of a commemorative postage stamp. On Tuesday, April 15 President Bill Clinton paid tribute to Jackie at Shea Stadium in New York in a special ceremony.

Fast Facts of Jackie Robinson

Birth Name: Jack Roosevelt Robinson
Also known as: Jackie Robinson
Birth Date: January 31, 1919 in Cairo, GA
Death Date: October 24, 1972 in Stamford, CT
Married: Rachel Issum on February 10, 1946
Children: Jackie Jr. (died in 1971), Sharon and David
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 204 lb.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
College Education: UCLA
Professional Team: Brooklyn Dodgers
Years Played: 1947-56
Debut: April 15, 1947

Quotes By Jackie Robinson

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

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

"How you played in yesterday's game is all that counts."

"I guess you'd call me an independent since I've never identified myself with one party or another in politics. I always decide my vote by taking as careful a look as I can at the actual candidates and issues themselves, no matter what the party label."

"I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being."

"It kills me to lose. If I'm a troublemaker, and I don't think that my temper makes me one, then it's because I can't stand losing. That's the way I am about winning, all I ever wanted to do was finish first."

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

"Pop flies, in a sense, are just a diversion for a second baseman. Grounders are his stock trade."

"The right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time."

"I way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it."

"There's not an American in this country free until every one of us is free."

"But if Mr. Rickey hadn't signed me, I wouldn't have played another year in the black league. It was too difficult. The travel was brutal. Financially, there was no reward. It took everything you make to live off."

"But as I write these words now I cannot stand and sing the National Anthem. I have learned that I remain a black in a white world."

"Above anything else, I hate to lose."

About Jackie Robinson

"He was the greatest competitor I have ever seen."
-- Duke Snider, teammate

"There was never a man in the game who could put mind and muscle together quicker than Jackie Robinson."
-- Branch Rickey, ex-General Manager Brooklyn Dodgers

"Jackie, we've got no army. There's virtually nobody on our side. No owner, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I'm afraid that many fans may be hostile. We'll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I am doing this because you're a great ballplayer, and a fine gentleman."
-- Rickey

Awards of Jackie Robinson

Honors

• Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility
• NAACP's prestigious Springarn Medal
• Elected to throw out the first ball at the 1972 World Series
• Honorary degree from the University of Maryland
• Honorary degree from Franklin Pierce College
• Honorary degree from Scared Heart University
• Honorary degree from Pace University
• Honorary degree from the Howard University
• Citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews
• Two Friends Award of the National Urban League

Appearances on Leaderboards and All-Star Games

Awards are Year-League-Award, Stats are Year-Value-Rank

All-Star	Awards	Top 10 MVP	Batting Average
1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954	1947-ML-ROY 1949-NL-MVP	1947-NL-5 1949-NL-1 1951-NL-6 1952-NL-7	1948-.296-10 1949-.342-1 1950-.328-2 1951-.338-3 1952-.308-4 1953-.329-8 Car-.311-94
On-Base %	Slugging %	OPS	Games
1949-.432-2 1950-.423-3 1951-.429-3 1952-.440-1 1953-.425-2 1954-**.413-8 Car-.409-40	1949-.528-3 1951-.527-6 1952-.465-10	1949-.960-3 1950-.923-7 1951-.957-4 1952-.904-2 1953-.927-10 1954-**.918-8 Car-.883-81	1947-151-6 1948-147-9 1949-156-2 1951-153-8
At Bats	Runs	Hits	Total Bases
1947-590-5 1948-574-6 1949-593-10	1947-125-2 1948-108-4 1949-122-3 1950-99-9 1951-106-5 1952-104-3 1953-109-8	1947-175-9 1948-170-8 1949-203-2 1950-170-9 1951-185-5	1947-252-10 1948-260-9 1949-313-5 1951-289-8
Doubles	Triples	RBI	Base on Balls
1947-31-6 1948-38-4 1949-38-3 1950-39-3 1951-33-3 1953-34-8	1948-8-8 1949-12-3 1951-7-10	1949-124-2	1949-86-7 1950-80-9 1951-79-10 1952-106-3
Stolen Bases	Adjusted OPS+	Extra-Base Hits	Times on Base
1947-29-1 1948-22-4 1949-37-1 1950-12-7 1951-25-3 1952-24-3 1953-17-4 1955-12-6 1956-12-6	1949-152-3 1950-140-8 1951-154-4 1952-150-2 1953-139-9	1948-58-6 1949-66-5 1951-59-8	1947-258-5 1948-234-9 1949-297-2 1950-255-6 1951-273-3 1952-277-2 1953-240-9
Hit By Pitch	Sac. Hits	Power/Spd Num.
1947-9-2 1948-7-1 1949-8-2 1950-5-7 1951-9-3 1952-14-2 1953-7-3 1954-7-2	1947-28-1 1949-17-1 1950-10-6 1953-9-8	1947-17.0-1 1948-15.5-1 1949-22.3-1 1950-12.9-5 1951-21.6-3 1952-21.2-1 1953-14.1-3 1954-9.5-10 1956-10.9-7

Achievements of Jackie Robinson

In 1947, Jackie Robinson engineered the integration of professional sports in America by breaking the color barrier in baseball. He overcame numerous obstacles in his 10 year career to become one of baseball's most exciting and dazzling players. His enormous talent helped lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to six pennants and one World Series Championship. The ultimate honor was bestowed when Jackie was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility.
However, Jackie Robinson's contributions go far beyond the baseball diamond. Upon retirement from baseball, Jackie fought tirelessly to improve the quality of life not only for African-Americans, but for society as a whole. By becoming the first black vice president of a major American corporation, Robinson continued to open doors for African Americans.

Education

• Attended Washington Junior High School in 1935.
• Achieved four-letterman status at John Muir Technical High School.
• Enrolled in Pasadena Junior College 1938-1939.
• Led Pasadena to the Junior College Championship in 1938.
• Named Most Valuable Junior College Player in Southern California in 1938.
• Held the National Junior College broad jump record.
• Transferred to UCLA 1939-1940.
• Won the NCAA broad jump title at 25' 6 1/2".
• Became UCLA's first four-letter man.
• Served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1945, during which he became second Lieutenant.
• Inducted into UCLA's Hall of Fame on June 10, 1984.

Career

• Broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 by becoming the first African-American player.
• Named National League Rookie of the Year in 1947.
• Led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949.
• Led second basemen in double plays 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952.
• Selected as the National League MVP in 1949
• Won the 1949 batting title with a .342.
• National League All-Star Team, 1949-1954.
• Had a career batting average of .311 with the Dodgers, .333 in All-Star games Led the Dodgers to six World Series and one World Series Championship in a 10-year span.

Beyond Baseball

• Starred in "The Jackie Robinson Story" in 1950.
• Opened a men's apparel store on 125th street in Harlem from 1952-1958.
• Signed a contract with WNBC and WNBT to serve as Director of Community Activities in 1952.
• Became Vice President of Chock Full O'Nuts in 1957.
• Served in numerous campaigns and on the board of directors for the NAACP from 1957-1967.
• Established the Jackie Robinson Construction Company in 1970 to build housing for families with low incomes.
• Author of autobiography "I Never Had It Made."

Teaching With Documents:Beyond the Playing Field -
Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Advocate

Jack Roosevelt Robinson (1919-72), the first black man to "officially" play in the big leagues in the 20th century, possessed enormous physical talent and a fierce determination to succeed. In the course of a distinguished 10-year career beginning in 1947, Robinson led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six National League titles and one victorious World Series. Beyond his many and stellar baseball feats, Jackie Robinson went on to champion the cause of civil rights when he retired from the game.

The National Archives and Records Administration holds numerous records relating to Jackie Robinson, many of which pertain to his period of civil rights advocacy. Several belonging to that time have been reproduced here for educators teaching courses that involve civil rights events and issues, character education, and effective citizenship skills.

Above: Jackie Robinson, undated, Records of the United States Information Agency, Record Group 306 (306-PS-50-4730), is available from the Still Pictures Branch at the National Archives at College Park, MD.