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Quick Facts
- NAME: Jackie Robinson
- OCCUPATION: Baseball Player
- BIRTH DATE: January 31, 1919
- DEATH DATE: October 24, 1972
- EDUCATION: John Muir High School, Pasadena Junior College, University of California, Los Angeles
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Cairo, Georgia
- PLACE OF DEATH: Stamford, Connecticut
- Originally: Jack Roosevelt Robinson
Best Known For
Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play major league baseball, becoming Rookie of the Year in 1947, National League MVP in 1949 and a World Series champ in 1955.
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Jackie Robinson - Full Episode (22:48)
Jackie Robinson - Breaking Barriers
Watch a short video about Jackie Robinson and the many barriers he faced as Major League Baseball's first African-American player.
Jackie Robinson - Changing Major League Baseball
Jackie Robinson broke many boundaries as one of the greatest players in Brooklyn Dodger and Major League Baseball history.
Jackie Robinson - Mini Biography
While serving in the military, Jackie Robinson was arrested for refusing to move to the back of a segregated bus. In 1947, he made history when his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended racial segregation in Major League Baseball.
Jackie Robinson - Full Episode
In his quest for excellence and equality, all-star athlete Jackie Robinson shatters the barriers of racism to become the first black baseball player to play in the major leagues.
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Play NowJackie Robinson. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:40, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813.
Jackie Robinson. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813 [Accessed 20 May 2013].
"Jackie Robinson." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 12:40 http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813.
"Jackie Robinson," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813 [accessed May 20, 2013].
"Jackie Robinson," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813 (accessed May 20, 2013).
Jackie Robinson [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813.
Jackie Robinson, http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813 (last visited May 20, 2013).
Jackie Robinson. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jackie-robinson-9460813. Accessed May 20, 2013.
He helped the team win one more National League pennant the following season, and was then traded to the New York Giants. Jackie Robinson retired shortly after the trade, on January 5, 1957, with an impressive career batting average of .311.
Contents
Causes and Legacy
After baseball, Robinson became active in business and continued his work as an activist for social change. He worked as an executive for the Chock Full O' Nuts coffee company and restaurant chain and helped establish the Freedom National Bank. He served on the board of the NAACP until 1967 and was the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1972, the Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42.
In his later years, Robinson continued to lobby for greater integration in sports. He died from heart problems and diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife, Rachel Isum, and two of their three children. After his death, his wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation dedicated to honoring his life and work. The foundation helps young people in need by providing scholarships and mentoring programs.
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