Did you know that Jackie Robinson was much better at basketball than he was at baseball? In fact, he may have been the finest basketball player of his time. Robinson was so good on the court that in 1946 he joined a racially integrated professional basketball team called the Los Angeles Red Devils.
Was Jackie Robinson a good baseball player?
Yes he was a good player, actually a great one. He is, in fact, underappreciated as a player due to his historical importance. You know little about baseball that baseball if you can type “Was Jackie Robinson actually a good player” and miracle of miracles your computer did not explode in your face.
Was Jackie Robinson a poor or rich family?
She worked as a maid to support her children, and they remained poor. But young Robinson distinguished himself as a high school athlete, both in track and in baseball, and even more so at Pasadena Junior College, where he excelled at football as well.
What was Jackie Robinsons greatest accomplishment?
Jackie Robinson will remain remembered as the first African-American professional baseball player. He broke the barrier on April 15, 1947. Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers breaking the baseball color line for Major League. And that is only one of the many accomplishments by Jackie Robinson. When the Dodgers signed him, they started the end of racial segregation in professional baseball.
What struggles did Jackie Robinson have?
Jackie Robinson's Struggle as the First Black Player in MLB
- Jackie Robinson's Roots. Born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, Jack Roosevelt Robinson was transplanted to California because his mother thought her children would have a better life there ...
- Breaking Baseball's Color Barrier. ...
- St. ...
- A Successful First Season. ...
- Jackie Robinson in the Civil Rights Movement. ...
- Jackie Robinson's Career Stats. ...
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What made Jackie Robinson so great?
Jackie Robinson was an African American professional baseball player who broke Major Leagues Baseball's infamous “color barrier” when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Until that time, professional ballplayers of color suited up for teams only in the Negro Leagues.
What was Jackie Robinson good at?
What were Jackie Robinson's achievements? In 1947, the year he broke baseball's “colour line,” Jackie Robinson was named National League Rookie of the Year. In 1949 he was the league's Most Valuable Player. Robinson led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six league championships and one World Series victory.
Who was the best baseball player of all time?
Baseball's 100 Greatest PlayersBaseball's 100 Greatest Players by The Sporting News (1998)RankName1Babe RuthRankNameBaseball's100GreatestPlayersbyTheSportingNews49 more rows
Why is Jackie Robinson a hero?
Jackie Robinson Jackie Robinson is a major cultural hero who affected our society in a major way. He was the first African-American in Major League Baseball, breaking the color barrier and paving the way for many other African-Americans in baseball and other sports all over.
What are 5 accomplishments of Jackie Robinson?
Broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 by becoming the first African-American player. Named National League Rookie of the Year in 1947. Led the National League in stolen bases in 1947 and 1949. Led second basemen in double plays 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1952.
What are 3 interesting facts about Jackie Robinson?
10 Astonishing Facts about Jackie RobinsonJackie's brother was an Olympic silver medalist. ... Jackie played several sports. ... Jackie Attended U.C.L.A. ... Jackie Served in the Military. ... Jackie Married his College Sweetheart. ... He won the Rookie of the Year Award. ... He was National League's MVP.More items...•
Was Jackie Robinson one of the best?
Jackie Robinson had an excellent MLB career 311 with 137 home runs and excellent defense in 10 seasons. Robinson led the Dodgers to a 1955 World Series championship over the rival Yankees. The 5-foot-11 Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year in 1947 and took home NL MVP honors two years later.
Who was Jackie Robinson?
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...
What happened to Jackie Robinson?
While awaiting results of hospital tests on the ankle he had injured in junior college, Robinson boarded an Army bus with a fellow officer's wife; although the Army had commissioned its own unsegregated bus line, the bus driver ordered Robinson to move to the back of the bus. Robinson refused. The driver backed down, but after reaching the end of the line, summoned the military police, who took Robinson into custody. When Robinson later confronted the investigating duty officer about racist questioning by the officer and his assistant, the officer recommended Robinson be court-martialed.
How did Frank Robinson die?
Toward the end of his PJC tenure, Frank Robinson (to whom Robinson felt closest among his three brothers) was killed in a motorcycle accident. The event motivated Jackie to pursue his athletic career at the nearby University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he could remain closer to Frank's family.
What college did Jackie Robinson play for?
In early 1945, while Robinson was at Sam Huston College , the Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. Robinson accepted a contract for $400 per month. Although he played well for the Monarchs, Robinson was frustrated with the experience. He had grown used to a structured playing environment in college, and the Negro leagues' disorganization and embrace of gambling interests appalled him. The hectic travel schedule also placed a burden on his relationship with Isum, with whom he could now communicate only by letter. In all, Robinson played 47 games at shortstop for the Monarchs, hitting .387 with five home runs, and registering 13 stolen bases. He also appeared in the 1945 East–West All-Star Game, going hitless in five at-bats.
What sports did Robinson play?
At Muir Tech, Robinson played several sports at the varsity level and lettered in four of them: football, basketball, track, and baseball. He played shortstop and catcher on the baseball team, quarterback on the football team, and guard on the basketball team.
How many years did Jackie Robinson play in the MLB?
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 from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored.
What high school did Jackie Robinson go to?
In 1935, Robinson graduated from Washington Junior High School and enrolled at John Muir High School (Muir Tech). Recognizing his athletic talents, Robinson's older brothers Mack (himself an accomplished athlete and silver medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics) and Frank inspired Jackie to pursue his interest in sports.
When Was Jackie Robinson Born?
Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of sharecroppers. He was the youngest of five children.
What team did Jackie Robinson play for?
Jackie Robinson's Professional Sports Career. In early 1945, Jackie Robinson was signed by the Negro League team the Kansas City Monarchs, where he starred for one season, hitting .387. At the time, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey was scouting the Negro Leagues, looking for players who not only had the talent but ...
What movie did Jackie Robinson play himself in?
In 1950, Robinson played himself in a movie on his life called “ The Jackie Robinson Story .” And in 2013, a movie about Robinson’s life called “ 42 ” was released to critical acclaim, with his widow involved in the production.
What is the Jackie Robinson Foundation?
Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship. Following his death, his wife Rachel, by then an assistant professor in the Yale School of Nursing, established the Jackie Robinson Foundation. In addition to recognizing other trailblazers in sports, the foundation awards the Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship to minority students.
What high school did Jackie Robinson attend?
That began to change when Jackie enrolled at John Muir High School in 1935. His older brother Mack, a silver medalist in track and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, inspired him to pursue his interest in athletics, and the younger Robinson ultimately earned varsity letters in baseball, basketball, football and track while at Muir.
What did Jackie Robinson do after he left college?
Jackie ultimately left college in the spring of his senior year, just a few credits short of his graduation. He accepted a job as an athletic administrator, but his dreams remained focused on the field of play.
Why was Jackie Robinson court martialed?
In 1944, Jackie was nearly court-martialed after he boarded a bus at Fort Hood in Texas and refused the driver’s order to sit in the back, as segregationist practices in the United States dictated at the time.
Overview
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. When the Dodgers signed Robinson, it heralded the end of racial segr…
Early life
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, into a family of sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of five children born to Mallie (McGriff) and Jerry Robinson, after siblings Edgar, Frank, Matthew (nicknamed "Mack"), and Willa Mae. His middle name was in honor of former President Theodore Roosevelt, who died 25 days before Robinson was born. After Robinson's father left the family in 1920, they moved to Pasadena, California.
Military career
In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated Army cavalry unit at Fort Riley (in Kansas). Having the requisite qualifications, Robinson and several other black soldiers applied for admission to an Officer Candidate School (OCS) then located at Fort Riley. Although the Army's initial July 1941 guidelines for OCS had been drafted as race neutral, few black applicants were admitted int…
Post-military
After his discharge, Robinson briefly returned to his old football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. Robinson then accepted an offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. Karl Downs to be the athletic director at Samuel Huston College in Austin, then of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The job included coaching the school's basketball team for the 1944–45 season. As it was a fledgling program, few students tried out for the basketball team, and Robinson even resorted to insertin…
Playing career
In early 1945, while Robinson was at Sam Huston College, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues. Robinson accepted a contract for $400 per month. Although he played well for the Monarchs, Robinson was frustrated with the experience. He had grown used to a structured playing environment in college, and the Negro leag…
Legacy
Robinson's major league debut brought an end to approximately sixty years of segregation in professional baseball, known as the baseball color line. After World War II, several other forces were also leading the country toward increased equality for blacks, including their accelerated migration to the North, where their political clout grew, and President Harry Truman's desegregation of the military in 1948. Robinson's breaking of the baseball color line and his prof…
Post-baseball life
Robinson once told future Hall of Fame inductee Hank Aaron that "the game of baseball is great, but the greatest thing is what you do after your career is over." Robinson retired from baseball at age 37 on January 5, 1957. Later that year, after he complained of numerous physical ailments, he was diagnosed with diabetes, a disease that also afflicted his brothers. Although Robinson adopte…
Family life and death
After Robinson's retirement from baseball, his wife Rachel Robinson pursued a career in academic nursing. She became an assistant professor at the Yale School of Nursing and director of nursing at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. She also served on the board of the Freedom National Bank until it closed in 1990. She and Jackie had three children: Jackie Robinson Jr. (1946–…