Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) became the first African American Major League Baseball player of the modern era in 1947. Robinson's achievement has been recognized by the retirement by each Major League team of his uniform number, 42.

Before the Major League

Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson moved with his mother and siblings to Pasadena, California in 1920, after his father deserted the family. At the University of California, Los Angeles, he was a football, basketball, track, and baseball star where he played with Kenny Washington, who would become one of the first black players in the National Football League since the early 1930s. His brother Matthew "Mack" Robinson (1912-2000) competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, finishing second in the 200-meter sprint behind Jesse Owens.

Related Topics:
Cairo, Georgia - Pasadena, California - University of California, Los Angeles - Football - Basketball - Track - Kenny Washington - National Football League - 1930s - 1936 Summer Olympics - Jesse Owens

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After leaving UCLA without a degree in 1942, Robinson enlisted in the US Army during World War II. He trained with the segregated U.S. 761st Tank Battalion. Initially refused entry to Officer Candidate School, he fought for it and eventually was accepted, graduating as a second lieutenant. While training at Fort Hood, Texas, Robinson refused to go to the back of a bus, knowing that the practice had recently been outlawed on military vehicles. He was court-martialed for insubordination, and never shipped out to Europe with his unit. He received an honorable discharge in 1944, after being exonerated at a trial with all charges dismissed.

Related Topics:
UCLA - 1942 - US Army - World War II - U.S. 761st Tank Battalion - Officer Candidate School - Fort Hood - Texas - Court-martial - Insubordination - 1944

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Jackie played baseball in 1944 for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League where he caught the eye of Clyde Sukeforth, a scout working for Branch Rickey.

Related Topics:
Kansas City Monarchs - Negro American League - Clyde Sukeforth - Scout - Branch Rickey

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