Jackie Robinson Biography

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, and passed away on October 24, 1972, becoming the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, breaking the sport's color barrier. After his college years, he served in the U.S. Army and was court-martialed for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus, later receiving an honorable discharge. During his 10-year MLB career, Robinson earned the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, was selected as an All-Star from 1949 to 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949. Following his death in 1972, Robinson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his contributions to sports and civil rights. In 2004, Major League Baseball established Jackie Robinson Day, observed annually on April 15, when all players wear the number 42. In 1936, Robinson won the junior boys singles title in the Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament and was named to the Pomona baseball tournament all-star team, which included future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon.