Born: Jan. 31, 1919 in Cairo, GA
Died: Oct. 24, 1972 in Stamford, CT
Years with Dodgers: 1947-56
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 1962
The social impact of Jackie Robinson's inclusion into Major League Baseball in 1947 resonates as one of the civil rights movement's most significant triumphs. For Robinson, the first African-American to have the opportunity to participate in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, it was all about playing the game. But, he was hand-selected by President Branch Rickey and the Dodger organization (including part-owner and Vice President and General Counsel Walter O'Malley) to cross the precipitous color line. Robinson promised Rickey that he would not fight back, other than with his bat and glove, despite what teammates, competitors, fans, umpires, writers, broadcasters and hotel managers might have said or how they tried to bait him into reacting. Robinson agreed to take on this historic civil rights challenge and was uniquely qualified to......
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Approximate Word Count: 621
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |