Sports

Jackie Robinson

Born January 31, 1919 · Cairo, Georgia · Joined the Ancestors October 24, 1972

The man who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947, Jackie Robinson changed not just a sport but the soul of a nation — proving that courage and excellence could overcome hatred.

Known For

Broke MLB color barrier

Team

Brooklyn Dodgers

Number

42, retired across all MLB

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia and raised in Pasadena, California. A remarkable multi-sport athlete at UCLA, he became the first student to letter in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track.

In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey recruited Robinson to break Major League Baseball's color line. Robinson endured death threats, racial slurs from fans and opposing players, and teammates who refused to take the field with him. Through it all, he played with extraordinary grace and ferocity.

In his rookie year, he won Rookie of the Year. In 1949, he won the MVP award. His courage opened the door for every Black athlete who followed. Number 42 was retired across all of Major League Baseball in 1997 — the only number so honored in the sport.