Jackie Robinson

Throughout the season, Robinson experienced considerable harassment from both players and fans. Pitchers threw at his head. Baserunners tried to cut him with their cleats. He was verbally assaulted by both his own teammates and opposing teams. The Philadelphia Phillies—encouraged by manager Ben Chapman—were particularly abusive. In their April 22 game against the Dodgers, they jeered at and insulted him ceaselessly, calling him a "nigger" from the bench, telling him to "go back to the jungle." Rickey would later recall that "Chapman did more than anybody to unite the Dodgers. When he poured out that string of unconscionable abuse, he solidified and united thirty men." Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler admonished the Phillies and asked Robinson to pose for photographs with Chapman as a conciliatory gesture. The two players did so, but the ensuing session was likely difficult for both participants.

In Robinson's rookie season, he earned the major-league minimum salary of $5000--which was standard for many rookies at the time. He played in 151 games, hit .297, and was the league leader in stolen bases with 29.

Robinson was awarded the Rookie of the Year award in 1947, and the Most Valuable Player award for the National League in 1949. He not only contributed to Brooklyn pennants in both years, but his determination and hustle kept the Dodgers in pennant races in 1950 and 1951 when they might otherwise have been eliminated much sooner. In 1955, though clearly in the decline of his career, Robinson would play a significant role in leading the Dodgers to their first and only World Series championship in Brooklyn, in a seven game victory over the New York Yankees.

Robinson's Major League career was fairly short. He did not enter the majors until he was 28, and was often injured as he aged. But in his prime, he was greatly respected both for his playing skills and as a person.

After the 1956 season, Robinson was sold by the Dodgers to the New York Giants (soon to become the San Francisco Giants.) Rather than report to the Giants, however, Robinson chose to retire at age 37. This sale further added to Robinson's growing disillusionment with the Dodgers, and in particular owner Walter O'Malley (who had forced Rickey out as General Manager) and manager Walter Alston.


Statue at Montreal's Olympic StadiumRobinson was an exceptionally talented and disciplined hitter, with a career average of .311 and substantially more walks than strikeouts. He played several defensive positions extremely well and was the most aggressive and successful baserunner of his era; no other player since World War II has more steals of home (19) than Robinson. By his talent and physical presence, he disrupted the concentration of pitchers, catchers and middle infielders. Robinson's overall talent was such that he is often cited as among the best players of his era. It is also frequently claimed that Robinson was one of the most intelligent baseball players ever, a claim that is well supported by his home plate discipline and defensive prowess. He was elected to baseball's All-Century Team as a second baseman. Robinson was regarded as a fierce competitor in the truest sense. In one of his most famous quotes, he said "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... all I ask is that you respect me as a human being."

NL Pennants 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956
World Series Teams 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956
All-Star Teams 1949 (2B),1950 (2B),1951 (2B),1952 (2B),1953 (3B),1954 (OF)
Awards Rookie of the Year (1947)
National League MVP (1949)
National League batting leader (.342 - 1949)
Baseball Hall of Fame (1962)


Jackie Robinson and his son David being interviewed at the "March on Washington"
August 28, 1963
From the National ArchivesRobinson retired from the game on January 5, 1957. He had wanted to manage or coach in the major leagues, but received no offers. He became a vice-president for the Chock Full O' Nuts corporation instead, and served on the board of the NAACP until 1967, when he resigned because of the lack of younger influence on the board. In 1960, he involved himself in the presidential election, campaigning first for Hubert Humphrey, and then meeting both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy: citing his record on Civil Rights, Robinson supported Nixon. After Nixon was elected in 1968, Robinson wrote that he regretted the endorsement. He campaigned diligently for Humphrey in 1968.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility, becoming the first African-American so honored. On June 4, 1972 the Dodgers retired his uniform number 42 alongside Roy Campanella (39) and Sandy Koufax (32).

Robinson made his final public appearance on October 14, 1972, before Game 2 of the World Series in Cincinnati. He used this chance to express his wish for a black manager to be hired by a Major League Baseball team.

This wish was granted two years later, following the 1974 season, when the Cleveland Indians gave their managerial post to Frank Robinson, a Hall of Fame bound slugger who was then still an active player, and no relation to Jackie Robinson. At the press conference announcing his hiring, Frank expressed his wish that Jackie had lived to see the moment. In 1981, four years after being fired as Indians manager, Frank Robinson was hired as the first black manager of a National League team, the San Francisco Giants. As of the conclusion of the 2005 season, five teams had black or Hispanic managers, including Frank Robinson, now with the Washington Nationals, and 13 of the 30 teams had hired one at some point in their history.

Robinson's final few years were marked by tragedy. In 1971, his eldest son, Jackie, Jr., who had beaten back drug problems and was working as a Daytop Village counselor, was killed in an automobile accident. Also, the diabetes that plagued him in middle age had left him virtually blind and contributed to his severe heart troubles.

Jackie Robinson was pronounced dead in Stamford, Connecticut on October 24, 1972 and was interred in the Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York; the highway that goes through the cemetery (Interborough Parkway) has been renamed the Jackie Robinson Parkway. For details, see Jules Tygiel's book, Baseball's Great Experiment.

In 1997 (the 50th anniversary of his major league debut), his number 42 was retired from all major league teams, though players who wore the number at the time, such as Mo Vaughn (who wore it in Robinson's honor) and Mariano Rivera (who remains the only major leaguer to wear 42), were allowed to retain it to the end of their careers. The New York Yankees are the only major league team not to list 42 among their retired numbers. In 2004, Major League Baseball designated that April 15 each year would be marked as "Jackie Robinson Day" in all their ballparks.

In 2000, he ranked number 44 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

The book Carl Erskine's Tales from the Dodgers Dugout: Extra Innings (2004) includes short stories from former Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine. Robinson is prominent in many of these stories.


Bronze replica of Jackie's Congressional Gold MedalOn October 29, 2003, the United States Congress posthumously awarded Robinson the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award the Congress can bestow. Robinson's widow accepted the award in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on March 2, 2005
 

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