42 Facts on Jackie Robinson
- Robinson was the first black player in major league baseball
- Robinson helped Dodgers win six National League pennants and one World Series
- Robinson was the first student at UCLA to earn four varsity letters in one year
- Robinson died of a heart attack three years after his son died in a car accident
- Robinson served in U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945
- Robinson became a first lieutenant
- Robinson worked with Joe Louis to eradicate unfair treatment of blacks in the military
- Robinson was discharged from the army in 1945 because his ankles had been weakened playing football
- His Grandfather was a slave
- Robinson was the youngest of five children
- His father deserted the family when Jackie was six months old
- At school, Robinson participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track
- Robinson left college before graduating
- After he left college, Robinson held a job with the National Youth Administration work camp
- Robinson joined the Kansas City Monarchs (a Negro League) in 1945 for $400 a month
- On October 23, 1945, Robinson signed a contract to play for the Montreal Royals
- Robinson was forced to ride in the back of buses, and some games in which he was scheduled to play were canceled due to his presence
- Some players on the team circulated a petition saying that they would not play with Robinson
- Robinson received hate mail, death threats, and even warnings that his baby would be kidnapped.
- When Robinson was brought to the Dodgers in 1947, the St. Louis Cardinals threatened to go on strike
- After Robinson's arrival, the Dodgers set a new attendance record
- Robinson led the league in stolen bases
- He was named Rookie of the Year
- In 1949, he earned a batting title and the Most Valuable Player award
- In 1950, Robinson was paid an annual salary of $35,000
- Robinson finished with a .311 career average and 19 career steals of home
- After he retired, Robinson's health started too declined. He had to begin receiving insulin shots for diabetes and at one point went into a diabetic coma
- Eventually Robinson’s diabetic condition would take away his sight in one eye and significantly reduce his sight in the other.
- After retiring from baseball, Robinson became the vice president for the Chock Full O'Nuts restaurant chain
- He became the chairman of the board of Freedom National Bank in Harlem
- Robinson became a member of the New York State Athletic Commission
- Robinson rejected an offer of membership in a private golf club when he learned that some members had objected to accepting an African American member
- Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962
- Jackie Jr was arrested for heroin possession in 1968
- Jackie Sr. became active in national campaigns against drug addiction until his death
- Robinson's funeral at Riverside Church in New York City attracted more than 2,500 people
View slideshow for numbers 37-42
Citations:
"Jackie Robinson." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 1994.
U.S. History in Context. Web. 4 June 2014.
LIFE With Jackie Robinson: Rare and Classic Photos of an American Icon Read
more: Jackie Robinson: Rare and Classic Photos of an American Icon.
http://life.time.com/culture/jackie-robinson-rare-and-classic-photos/#5.
Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2013-02-08/
42-jackie-robinson-movie.
"Jackie Robinson." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale, 1994.
U.S. History in Context. Web. 4 June 2014.
LIFE With Jackie Robinson: Rare and Classic Photos of an American Icon Read
more: Jackie Robinson: Rare and Classic Photos of an American Icon.
http://life.time.com/culture/jackie-robinson-rare-and-classic-photos/#5.
Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2013-02-08/
42-jackie-robinson-movie.