Jackie Robinson

Lore & Background

Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson was raised in Pasadena, California. A four-sport student athlete at Pasadena Junior College and UCLA, he was better known for football than baseball, becoming a star with the UCLA Bruins football team. After college, he was drafted for World War II but was court-martialed for refusing to sit at the back of a segregated Army bus, eventually being honorably discharged. He then signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues, where he caught the eye of Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons (1949–1954), and won the NL MVP in 1949—the first Black player so honored. He played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Series championship. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 in his first year of eligibility. Robinson also was the first Black television analyst in MLB and the first Black vice president of a major American corporation, Chock full o'Nuts. In the 1960s, he helped establish the Freedom National Bank. After his death in 1972, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1997, MLB retired his uniform number, 42, across all Major League teams; he was the first professional athlete in any sport to be so honored. MLB also adopted 'Jackie Robinson Day' on April 15, 2004.

In Their Own Story

Robinson leads the league in hitting in his first year, and despite the grave concerns expressed by the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rickey goes ahead and promotes him to the Dodgers. Reviled at first by many of the fans and some of his own teammates, Robinson gets off to a shaky start, playing out of position at first base and going through a hitting slump, but then gradually wins people over with his talent and determination. The team goes on to win the pennant, with Robinson driving in the tying run and scoring the winning run in the deciding game. Principal photography for the film took place in the off-season following his third season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Much of the film was shot at Gilmore Field, home of the PCL Hollywood Stars. According to Bosley Crowther, 'What is surprising... in this new film... is the sincerity of the dramatization and the integrity of Mr. Robinson playing himself. Too often, in films of this nature about sports figures, fanciful or real, the sentiments are inflated and the heroics glorified. Here the simple story of Mr. Robinson's trail-blazing career is re-enacted with manifest fidelity and conspicuous dramatic restraint. And Mr. Robinson, doing that rare thing of playing himself in the picture's leading role, displays a calm assurance and composure that might be envied by many a Hollywood star.'

Reader's Guide

Robinson's character, his use of nonviolence, and his talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation that had then marked many other aspects of American life. He influenced the culture of and contributed significantly to the civil rights movement.

Did You Know?

• Robinson was the first African American to play in MLB in the modern era.
• He won the NL MVP in 1949, the first Black player to receive that honor.
• MLB retired his number 42 across all teams in 1997, the first such honor in professional sports.
• He was posthumously awarded both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.