Background Information
Jackie Robinson was born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He as the youngest of five was raised in relative poverty with his single mother. His older brother Matthew Robinson inspired his brother Jackie to pursue his love and talent for sports. He attended Pasadena Junior College and there he played basketball, baseball, track, and football. He continued on to the University of California and there he received four varsity letters in four sports and his was the first to ever do so. He later had to move to Hawaii due to financial issues and there he played semi-professional football for the Honolulu Bears. His season with them ended when the United States went into World War II and there he was a Courtesy of IndianaNewscneter.com second lieutenant for the Army of the United States.
Jackie Robinson was discharged in 1944 and he began to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues because blacks and whites were separated. Not too much later he began playing for the Dodgers farm team the Montreal Royals he was a first basemen. Robinson retired shortly after being traded to the Giants and he was thirty seven years old. He ended his career with a .311 batting average which was still fantastic. After retiring he became an activist and started working in the business field. His number on the Dodgers was 42 and his jersey was retired in 1972. Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962 by the BBWAA, which is otherwise known as “The Baseball Writers' Association of America.” Jackie Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972 in Stamford, Connecticut at age fifty three. Robinson was buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn NY.
"I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it--and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist." - Jackie Robinson