Jackie Robinson's Birthday: Remembering A Pioneer

Jackie Robinson, who would have been 93 today, once said that "a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives," Jackie Robinson said. By that measure, his own life was monumental.

In becoming the first African American to play Major League Baseball, he challenged racist assumptions about black inferiority and the logic for segregating the nation's pasttime.

After he walked away from the diamond — he won the National League MVP in 1949, and is considered one of the greatest second basemen ever — Robinson continued to be a pioneer. He was the first black commentator for a national sports broadcast, and the first black vice president of a major American firm.

"It was really amazing to wake up one day and find Jackie Robinson playing in Brooklyn," David Dinkins, the former mayor of New York City, told the New York Times in 1997. "It was a really big deal. I went to Brooklyn Law School because I was a Dodger fan."

"It's hard to imagine for this generation what it was like for a white boy in the late 1940s to have a black man as his idol," added Ira Glasser, who once ran the American Civil Liberties Union. "Where I lived in East Flatbush, you could walk for 10 blocks in any direction and not see anyone who wasn't white, maybe not even anyone who wasn't Jewish. Most of my friends were intense Dodger fans, and we had with the team a peculiarly intense relationship, and into that relationship comes Robinson."

"And on a team filled with heroes, he became a hero. On the empty lots where we played, when those lots transformed in our minds to the lush grass of Ebbets Field, we chose to be Jackie. We tried to incorporate everything about him into our styles. I had a friend who even wore his sneakers on the wrong feet to make him walk pigeon-toed."

Robinson's number, 42, was retired throughout Major League baseball in 1997.

Below, a look at Robinson's life:

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• Jackie Of All Trades

  Robinson was a four-sport standout at UCLA -- starring track, baseball, football and basketball.

• Robinson At UCLA

  Robinson on the practice field at UCLA.

• In this 1949 photo, Branch Rickey, the president and part owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers (in hat), talks with Gil Hodges, Gene Hermanski and Jackie Robinson.

• Robinson reclines after winning the National League MVP award in 1949.

• Robinson with Althea Gibson, the first black woman to win a Grand Slam on the pro tennis circuit.

• Robinson And "Sugar" Ray Robinson, 1963

  <em>Correction: An earlier caption incorrectly identified Ray Robinson as Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali). We regret the error.</em>

• Robinson At March On Washington, 1963

  Jackie Robinson, seated, listens to Harry Belafonte as he speaks at the March on Washington in 1963.

• After Baseball

  After stepping away from baseball, Robinson became the vice president in charge of personnel at Chock Full of Nuts. He was the first African American to serve as vice president of a major American corporation.

• Robinson And Ali

  Jackie Robinson meets with Muhammad Ali while he trains in 1963.

• At Home With Rachel

  In this 1962 file photo, former baseball player Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, pose in their Connecticut home in 1962.

• Robinson in 1971

  Jackie Robinson looks pensive at his Stamford, Conn., home, in this June 30, 1971 file photo, as he discusses the death of his son Jack, Jr.

Comments

[mr whiteffolks]

08:28 PM on 02/05/2012

I can't imagine the hate Robinson endured being the first African-American in baseball ! I'm sure he was spat on, cursed at, shunned, denied service at restaurants and hotels etc etc ! Hat is off to him because I couldn't sit and take that abuse without doing or saying something !

[kprestore]

12:56 PM on 02/01/2012

Picture # 6 was mistakenly listed as having Cassius Clay in it. That was actually Sugar Ray Robinson.

[MsG7]

09:02 AM on 02/01/2012

Nice story. He is absolutely a "greatness" in our history.

[Scallop]

08:42 AM on 02/01/2012

He wasn't the greatest second baseman ever but is definitely in the top 5 or 6. In fairness and through no fault of his own, he received too much credit for being the first black in MLB. That goes to Branch Rickey, the facilitator of the long overdue inclusion. Without the Dodger owner, or someone like him, Robinson would have toiled in tragic anonymity forever. His athletic skills have now long been acknowledged but what amazed me far more was his astonishing toleration of the abuse that was heaped upon him by fans, competitors and even some teammates. His fortitude, grace under fire and incomparable inner strength should be celebrated far more than the cold, impersonal statistics he compiled.

[dwill123]

08:56 AM on 02/01/2012

Why do you think Rickey selected him???

[Scallop]

09:02 AM on 02/01/2012

Don't get me wrong, Rickey received too much credit as well because one must never presume he brought Jackie up for altruistic reasons. He was a businessman, pure and simple and figured Robinson's ability would help the Dodgers win.

[Scallop]

10:43 AM on 02/01/2012

I posted a response earlier but for some reason it didn't appear. To reiterate...

Rickey deserved far less credit himself. What he did was not the altruistic gesture it is often portrayed to be. The Dodger owner was a businessman first and he promoted
Robinson to the bigs because he recognized the player's skill level and potential to contribute. More wins means more bucks, plain and simple.

[mr whiteffolks]

08:21 PM on 02/05/2012

I always wonder what MLB baseball would have been had Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, James "Cool Papa" Bell, and other great Negro League baseball players been allowed to play during their era's !

[Scallop]

08:18 AM on 02/01/2012

J

[Who-Starry-Now]

05:51 AM on 02/01/2012

Babeball Fan 4 ever

[dwill123]

06:51 PM on 01/31/2012

Jackie Robinson was also a lieutenant in the United States Army during WWII. He was a member of the all black 761st Tank Battalion.

[delsop]

06:31 PM on 01/31/2012

Easily the greatest baseball player, ever! As a rookie, who excelled at second base in the minors, he was shifted to first base, because Babe Herman was the reigning 2d baseman. Besides the opposition hurling epithets at him from their dugouts, and attempting to spike his foot on the first base bag, he never lost his composure. His statistics speak volumes when you consider the above. And his steal of home was electrifying. He played with abandon and never let us down. Others had better batting stats, but noone can compare to Jackie!

[mr whiteffolks]

08:23 PM on 02/05/2012

Greatest ever ? I disagree with that ! He was a good player but he wasn't a great 2nd baseman so therefore he couldn't possibly be the greatest ever !

I'd rank him 5th or 6th on the all time best 2nd baseman list !

[letuckerchicago]

04:29 PM on 01/31/2012

He was Aces.

[Sheree Hawkins]

04:16 PM on 01/31/2012

Maybe now that I'm older, I've realized how FINE Jackie Robinson was!!

[Paul D Edwards]

05:51 PM on 01/31/2012

I'm not really replying to your post, but I have to point out that there is NO WAY in the person in the picture holding the bat is Muhammed Ali (Cassius Clay).. It's actually Sugar Ray Robinson former middleweight champ back in the 50's. Wow, Huff Post, really? Ali is possibly one of the most easily recognized persons on the planet, and he doesn't even remotely resemble Sugar Ray Robinson. Nice to remember Jackie Robinson on his birthday, but that entire slide is a bit of a serious slip up.. Please correct that.

[ME623]

07:56 AM on 02/01/2012

Paul, you are soo right. I kept looking at the picture and kept saying "That's not Ali"! Someone needs to re-assess that caption. The caption actually belongs on pic #9.

[mr whiteffolks]

08:24 PM on 02/05/2012

LOL ! Um OK !