Jackie Robinson (1/13/1919 – 10/24/1972)
Played for the Brooklyn Dodgers 1947 to 1956.

Perhaps no other baseball player had a positive impact on our entire college than Dodger legend, Jackie Robinson. His major league debut in 1947 ended 80 years of baseball segregation. He was the member of six World Series teams.

As the first African-American to break the color barrier in 1947, Jackie Robinson not only became the consummate athlete, he was the consummate ambassador. Jackie’s ability was unparalleled, and his temperament gave him the ingredients to become a hero.

In 1957, Jackie Robinson retired and became vice president of the Chock Full O’ Nuts Corporation and served on the board of the NAACP. Robinson became the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. He died in 1972 due to heart problems and diabetes complications.

On April 15, 1997, Jackie Robinson’s  #42 was retired by Major League Baseball – meaning that no future player on any major league team could wear it.

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