The family moves to Pasadena, Calif., in 1920, and Jackie becomes a star athlete at local John Muir High School in the ‘30s, lettering in baseball, football, track and basketball; for the baseball team, he plays shortstop and catcher, and is named to a local All-Star team in ‘36.After transferring from Pasadena Junior College, Robinson makes his debut for the UCLA football team. 1998. Playing first base, Robinson goes 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.After a season in which he hits .297/.383/.427 with 12 home runs and an NL-leading 29 stolen bases and 28 sacrifice hits, Robinson is named MLB’s Rookie of the Year (separate Rookie of the Year awards for each league were not created until 1949). He will be the Dodgers’ everyday starter at the position for the next five seasons.Robinson hits for the cycle—a single, double, triple and home run in the same game—in a 12–7 Brooklyn win over the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the first Dodger to do so since Dixie Walker in 1944 and just the fifth in franchise history.Robinson plays in his first All-Star Game, also the first to feature black players. Pictured alongside Robinson are Royals president Hector Racine, Branch Rickey Jr. and Royals vice president Romeo Gauvreau.Robinson (right) crosses the plate in Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, N.J. after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Jersey City Giants. Led by Robinson, the 1949 Dodgers win 97 games and the NL pennant but fall to the New York Yankees in the World Series in five games.On the last day of the season and with the Dodgers needing a win to stay tied with the New York Giants for first place in the National League standings, Robinson leads Brooklyn to a comeback victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting a game-winning home run in the 14th inning of a 9–8 victory. Ten years later, Major League Baseball institutes Jackie Robinson Day to celebrate his accomplishments and bravery, with all MLB players allowed to wear No.
42 is retired across baseball, the first time any of the four major American sports had retired a number league-wide. Explore our HISTORY. Those who were already using the number were allowed to keep it (the last player to wear it was the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera, who retired in 2013).Starting in 2004, MLB officially began recognizing April 15 as Starting in 2018, teams will also wear a commemorative patch on their caps and sleeves, and socks with the number 42 on them.
Montreal outfielder George Shuba (middle) congratulates him at the plate while umpire Art Gore (left) watches.Robinson posing in front of the Montreal Royals dugout as he waits to bat.Pictured from left to right: Brooklyn Dodgers' John Jorgensen, Pee Wee Reese, Ed Stanky and Robinson.Robinson speaking with Sporting News editor J.G. During the interview, Rickey asks Robinson if he is capable of handling the hate he will receive as a black player without responding to it; when Robinson asks if Rickey is “looking for a Negro who won’t fight back,” Rickey replies that he wants a player “with guts enough not to fight back.” The deal with Brooklyn is formally announced on Oct. 23, and Robinson is assigned to the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers’ farm club.Robinson makes his professional debut for the Royals of the International League against the Jersey City Giants. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world.” These are words that professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick used as inspiration for their own controversial anthem protests during NFL games in 2017.Jackie Robinson wasn’t just a Hall of Fame baseball player, he truly was a Hall of Fame person.In June of 1972, just a few months prior to his death, the Dodgers retired Jackie’s number 42. A six-year-old Robinson pictured sitting on a chair.Robinson leaping into a football pose during his Freshman year at UCLA.Robinson pictured here while playing shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues.Robinson signing with the Montreal Royals in Montreal. Robinson will go on to make six All-Star teams in his career.On the heels of the best season of his career, Robinson wins his first and only MVP award. Robinson’s life did have an enormous impact on others, a legacy that continues to this day. Robinson goes 1 for 4 with a double and three runs scored, but the NL loses to the AL, 12–7.
In his 1972 autobiography, he said: “I cannot stand and sing the anthem. Robinson’s steal cuts the Yankees’ lead to a run, 6–5, but the Dodgers lose the game. He is inducted on July 23; his Cooperstown plaque notes his “extraordinary ability” and “electrifying style of play” and also pays tribute to his “tremendous courage and poise … when he integrated the modern major leagues in the face of intense adversity.”The Dodgers retire Robinson’s No. That year was also Robinson’s worst as a regular: He slipped to a .256 batting average after six straight seasons of hitting .300 or better and missed 49 games due to injury.After a season in which he plays in just 117 games and hits just .275, Robinson is traded to the crosstown Giants for lefthanded pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. Steven Brown is named the Foundation's third President and CEO.