Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born into a family of sharecroppers in Georgia in 1919. Robinson excelled at sports at a young age. While at UCLA, he was the only athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track. He left college because of financial issues and eventually joined the U.S. Army. In 1945, Robinson returned to sports, playing a season in the Negro Baseball League. His playing attracted the Brooklyn Dodgers, who signed Robinson in 1947. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since the sport was segregated in 1889. Robinson not only integrated baseball but had great success in the Major League, all while facing the extreme stress of integrating America’s national pastime. In 1962, Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.