In honor of the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's pioneering role in baseball, I thought I'd offer up some interestinging trivia:
<O
</O1. Growing up in the predominantly white school system of Pasadena, California, Robinson’s school guidance counselor listed Robinson’s likely future occupation as “gardener.”
2. In 1936, Jackie Robinson won the Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Championships in singles.
3. In 1936, Jackie’s older brother, Mack, was a silver medalist in the Berlin Olympics, finishing .04 seconds behind Jessie Owens.
4. Robinson was the first athlete in the history of UCLA to letter in four sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track. In the opinion of most, baseball was his worst sport.
5. Robinson won the 1940 NCAA long jump competition.
6. In 1942 after joining the army at Fort Riley Kansas, Robinson was initially denied entry into <ST1<st1laceName w:st="on">Officer</st1laceName> <st1laceName w:st="on">Candidate</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">School</st1laceType></ST1. After protests from Joe Louis, among others, this policy was reversed and Robinson became a second lieutenant.
7. In 1943, as a lieutenant, Robinson was court-martialed after refusing to give up his seat on a public bus in <ST1<st1:City w:st="on">Fort Hood</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State></ST1lace. This happened 12 years before Rosa Parks did it in <ST1<st1:City w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Alabama</st1:State></ST1. Robinson, a lifelong teetotaler, was charged with public drunkenness and “conduct unbecoming an officer.” He was eventually acquitted and honorably discharged in 1944.
8. In 1946, Robinson led the minor league Montreal Royals to the “Little World Series” championship, and he was mobbed by jubilant Montrealers. Wrote one sportswriter, “It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of lynching on its mind."
9. At age 28, Robinson played his first year on the Brooklyn Dodgers as a first baseman, the only position that was open.
10. Members of his own team, as well as other teams, considered going on strike rather than playing with Robinson. It took commissioner Ford Frick to head off a boycott that was initiated by the St. Louis Cardinals.
11. Though Robinson won “Rookie of the Year” honors in 1947, it wasn’t until 1959 that all 16 major league teams had a black player on their rosters.
12. After being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, Jackie wanted to manage a team, but no team would hire him, leaving him bitter.
13. In 1969, he boycotted the “Old Timer’s Game” to protest the absence of any black managers in baseball.
14. In 1960, Robinson outraged many of his supporters by endorsing Richard Nixon for president. His relationship with Nixon eventually cooled, and in 1968, Robinson campaigned for Hubert Humphrey against Nixon.
15. In 1972, Jackie threw out the first pitch in game 2 of the World Series, to commemorate the 25<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary of his breaking the color barrier. He used the occasion to criticize baseball for its refusal to hire people of color in the front office. Nine days later, he died. Two years later, Frank Robinson (no relation) was hired by the Cleveland Indians as the first black manager in major league baseball. He said that he only wished that Jackie were there to see it.
<O
</O1. Growing up in the predominantly white school system of Pasadena, California, Robinson’s school guidance counselor listed Robinson’s likely future occupation as “gardener.”2. In 1936, Jackie Robinson won the Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Championships in singles.
3. In 1936, Jackie’s older brother, Mack, was a silver medalist in the Berlin Olympics, finishing .04 seconds behind Jessie Owens.
4. Robinson was the first athlete in the history of UCLA to letter in four sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track. In the opinion of most, baseball was his worst sport.
5. Robinson won the 1940 NCAA long jump competition.
6. In 1942 after joining the army at Fort Riley Kansas, Robinson was initially denied entry into <ST1
<st1laceName w:st="on">Officer</st1laceName> <st1laceName w:st="on">Candidate</st1laceName> <st1laceType w:st="on">School</st1laceType></ST1. After protests from Joe Louis, among others, this policy was reversed and Robinson became a second lieutenant.7. In 1943, as a lieutenant, Robinson was court-martialed after refusing to give up his seat on a public bus in <ST1
<st1:City w:st="on">Fort Hood</st1:City> <st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State></ST1lace. This happened 12 years before Rosa Parks did it in <ST1<st1:City w:st="on">Montgomery</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Alabama</st1:State></ST1. Robinson, a lifelong teetotaler, was charged with public drunkenness and “conduct unbecoming an officer.” He was eventually acquitted and honorably discharged in 1944.8. In 1946, Robinson led the minor league Montreal Royals to the “Little World Series” championship, and he was mobbed by jubilant Montrealers. Wrote one sportswriter, “It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of lynching on its mind."
9. At age 28, Robinson played his first year on the Brooklyn Dodgers as a first baseman, the only position that was open.
10. Members of his own team, as well as other teams, considered going on strike rather than playing with Robinson. It took commissioner Ford Frick to head off a boycott that was initiated by the St. Louis Cardinals.
11. Though Robinson won “Rookie of the Year” honors in 1947, it wasn’t until 1959 that all 16 major league teams had a black player on their rosters.
12. After being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, Jackie wanted to manage a team, but no team would hire him, leaving him bitter.
13. In 1969, he boycotted the “Old Timer’s Game” to protest the absence of any black managers in baseball.
14. In 1960, Robinson outraged many of his supporters by endorsing Richard Nixon for president. His relationship with Nixon eventually cooled, and in 1968, Robinson campaigned for Hubert Humphrey against Nixon.
15. In 1972, Jackie threw out the first pitch in game 2 of the World Series, to commemorate the 25<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary of his breaking the color barrier. He used the occasion to criticize baseball for its refusal to hire people of color in the front office. Nine days later, he died. Two years later, Frank Robinson (no relation) was hired by the Cleveland Indians as the first black manager in major league baseball. He said that he only wished that Jackie were there to see it.
Last edited:
