He was a sit-inner before the sit-ins, a freedom rider before the freedom rides. .iQELft{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g114[id="sc-bdfBwQ"]{content:"mHQYb,"}/*!sc*/ His fourth would come as part of the aforementioned 100-meter relay team, four days later. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-items{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;padding-top:2px;}/*!sc*/ The harassment continued, however, most notably by the Philadelphia Phillies and their manager, Ben Chapman. .hUHmCp > article .ad-bottom-right-container{margin-top:64px;}/*!sc*/ Mack took up modest work as a street sweeper in Pasadena, wearing his Olympic sweatshirt with USA on the front while he performed that humble task. He helped the team win one more National League pennant the following season. Robinson made his debut on April 15, 1947, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. data-styled.g163[id="Styles__OEmbedContainer-oapuup-0"]{content:"epHHrr,"}/*!sc*/ Sports were an escape for both brothers. .mHQYb header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open .header__nav-top__nav-items{display:none;}/*!sc*/ He came in second to Jesse Owens. He is a recognizable legend. He arrived to the finals at Randalls Island with only the beat-up track spikes he had worn while competing at Pasadena Junior College. button,select{text-transform:none;}/*!sc*/ .epHHrr{text-align:center;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;}/*!sc*/ Sharon Robinson Siblings. main{display:block;}/*!sc*/ Those four medals, rubbed in the face of the German Fhrer, were an unprecedented Olympic haul by a track athlete, and Owens has been lionized as a result. I felt as though they had actually broken my heart.. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .mlb-header__login-menu{border-color:#057AFF;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g89[id="sc-global-feDRkC1"]{content:"sc-global-feDRkC1,"}/*!sc*/ Photos courtesy Kathy Robinson Young and Coffee Bluff Pictures. What they found, however, was segregation served California-style. .groqnz .ad-body-container .ad-body-inner-container::before{color:#dddddd;content:"ADVERTISEMENT";display:block;font-family:"proxima-nova","open Sans","Helvetica","Arial",sans-serif;font-size:0.694rem;line-height:13px;position:absolute;top:17px;text-align:center;width:100%;}/*!sc*/ hr{box-sizing:content-box;height:0;overflow:visible;}/*!sc*/ Robinson played his first game at Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, making history as the first Black athlete to play Major League Baseball in the 20th century. .blLcNM{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(12,1fr);grid-gap:24px;font-size:1rem;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search__list{z-index:50;min-width:250px;border-radius:6px;-webkit-mask-image:-webkit-radial-gradient(#ffffff,#000000);}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search__input{-webkit-appearance:none;position:relative;height:40px;font-family:'mlb-primary','Helvetica Neue','Helvetica','Arial', sans-serif;box-shadow:inset 0 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.075);color:#000;font-size:16px;width:100%;min-width:250px;background-color:#ffffff;border:0px;border-radius:6px;padding:0.25rem 1rem;line-height:1.42857143;margin-bottom:2px;}/*!sc*/ h1.Styles__HeadlineContainer-sc-19rm04l-0{font-size:2.074rem;margin-bottom:8px;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g66[id="textInputstyle__styledTextInput-sc-q34wel-2"]{content:"hHLkAw,"}/*!sc*/ Robinson married Rachel Isum, whom he had met at the University of California in 1946. @media screen and (min-width:1024px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner:hover a,.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner:hover span{color:#ffffff;}.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner:hover .p-icon *{fill:#ffffff;}}/*!sc*/ sup{top:-0.5em;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g150[id="Caption__CaptionContainer-ck57wu-0"]{content:"jCiprw,"}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item--parent[aria-expanded='true'] .header__nav-side__nav-item--inner .p-icon *{fill:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header .account--logged-in.active::after{background:#057AFF;}/*!sc*/ In 2016, filmmaker Ken Burns premiered a documentary about the baseball legend on PBS. .blLcNM .content >:nth-last-child(2){border:none;margin-right:auto;padding-right:48px;}/*!sc*/ And I won every 100-yard dash I was in, in 1934, and I became the undefeated state champion. .dLQAwR{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;margin-right:8px;min-height:48px;margin-bottom:8px;padding-right:8px;}/*!sc*/ In Atlanta, I know what I can do, Robinson was quoted as saying. The only time I was noticed was when somebody asked me during an assembly at school if Id race against a horse.. Jackie Robinson is rightly celebrated not just in Centennial Square but everywhere as the man who, on April 15, 1947, broke Major League Baseballs color barrier and helped usher in the American civil rights movement. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__secondary-logos img{max-height:56px;max-width:none;}/*!sc*/ .ebrWqN{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;background-color:#f3f3f3;border-radius:50%;-webkit-border-radius:50%;}/*!sc*/ In his later years, Mack put his time and money toward ensuring Jackie was properly celebrated. Mack regularly showed up at Pasadena City Hall to raise issues that were important to him. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__nav-items{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-box-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;justify-content:center;width:100%;padding:0px;}/*!sc*/ He left school prior to completing his physical education degree in order to get a job and support his family -- including brother Jackie, who by then had made a name for himself as a letter-winner in four sports (baseball, basketball, football and track) at UCLA. .hUHmCp > article > header,.hUHmCp > article > section{grid-column:1 / span 12;}/*!sc*/ Jackie Robinson Occupation: Baseball Player Born: January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia Died: October 24, 1972 in Stamford, Connecticut Best known for: The first African-American to play Major League Baseball Biography: Where did Jackie Robinson grow up? @media (min-width:1024px){.groqnz.markdown,.groqnz.photo figcaption,.groqnz.oembed .social-embed{padding:0;}}/*!sc*/ He also had to deal with racial inequity within his own team. She would help hand out the medals around the necks of the winners.. Robinsons life was the subject of the acclaimed 2013 Brian Helgeland movie 42, which starred Chadwick Boseman as Robinson and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. After failing before in four other series matchups, the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees. Robinson and his four siblings were raised by their mother after their father abandoned the family when Robinson was an infant. [B]ack in the days when integration wasnt fashionable, he underwent the trauma and the humiliation and the loneliness which comes with being a pilgrim walking the lonesome byways toward the high road of freedom. He was also a vocal civil rights activist. data-styled.g156[id="newsletterOptinstyle__Fieldset-sc-d7sh2p-1"]{content:"HQoYx,"}/*!sc*/ Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, on January 31, 1919. @font-face{font-family:'proxima-nova';src:url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-regular-italic.woff2') format('woff2'),url('https://www.mlbstatic.com/mlb.com/fonts/proxima-nova-regular-italic.woff') format('woff');font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-display:fallback;}/*!sc*/ The two big bronze sculptures in Centennial Square in downtown Pasadena, Calif., are equal in size. .eJdqRG p{margin-top:0;}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb .p-search-item__team-logo--container{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;margin-left:auto;}/*!sc*/ Rachel said that she and Jackie went to great lengths to create a nurturing home that sheltered their kids from racism. In the quarterfinals, Mack tied Tolans record to finish first in his grouping. .blUWSx .share-button__close{top:6px;left:5px;}/*!sc*/ .hUHmCp > article .ad-top-right-container::before,.hUHmCp > article .ad-bottom-right-container::before{font-family:"proxima-nova";content:"ADVERTISEMENT";display:block;position:absolute;top:-17px;text-align:center;width:100%;color:#888888;font-size:0.694rem;line-height:13px;}/*!sc*/ .cWQXyp{display:inline-block;width:100%;position:relative;}/*!sc*/ @media (min-width:768px){.cHcHkC{font-size:1.44rem;max-height:32px;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap;display:block;-webkit-line-clamp:none;-webkit-box-orient:inline-axis;}.cHcHkC::before,.cHcHkC::after{display:none;}}/*!sc*/ After his death, his wife established the Jackie Robinson Foundation in 1973 with the aim of providing scholarships for higher education to minority youths. When Jackie embarked upon his baseball mission, he left Pasadena behind, returning only to visit family. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__button.account{-webkit-box-pack:end;-webkit-justify-content:flex-end;-ms-flex-pack:end;justify-content:flex-end;padding:0 0 0 4px;white-space:nowrap;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;}/*!sc*/ data-styled.g155[id="newsletterOptinstyle__Form-sc-d7sh2p-0"]{content:"fAmXvR,"}/*!sc*/ "Jackie Robinson gave all of usnot only black athletes, . Mack did not dare dream of reaching the 1936 Summer Olympics. The finals were where Owens would help cement his legend. Mack Robinson wins the 220-yard dash at the national collegiate track and field meet on June 18, 1938, while attending the University of Oregon. data-styled.g21[id="imagestyle__Img-sc-xw1tzz-1"]{content:"ebrWqN,iQELft,"}/*!sc*/ In honor of his legacy, in 1972 the Dodgers retired his jersey number of 42. He moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he played football for the semi-professional Honolulu Bears. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-side__nav-item:focus a{outline:1px dotted #fff;}/*!sc*/ If you dont know the name Matthew Mack Robinson, its because he lived his life in the shadows of two of the most famous figures in the history of American sports. .hspSPq:hover svg path{fill:#ffffff;}/*!sc*/ body.article .ad-top-container{background-color:#f3f3f3;padding:8px 0;min-height:66px;}/*!sc*/ He first ran track competitively at Washington Junior High School, where he broke the city record in the 120-yard low hurdles. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__sponsor-logo,.mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top__url-logo{padding-left:20px;-webkit-box-pack:end;-webkit-justify-content:flex-end;-ms-flex-pack:end;justify-content:flex-end;}/*!sc*/ @media screen and (min-width:1024px){.mHQYb header.mlb-header[data-is-club],.mHQYb header.mlb-header[data-is-microsite]{background-image:linear-gradient( #002D72 50%, #041E42 50% );}}/*!sc*/ .mHQYb header.mlb-header.mlb-header--side-nav-open .header__nav-top .header__nav-top__button-menu--icon span:nth-child(3){-webkit-transform:rotate(-45deg);-ms-transform:rotate(-45deg);transform:rotate(-45deg);}/*!sc*/ Robinson was Rickey's choice not only because of. First established in 2004, April 15 is known as Jackie Robinson Day in the MLB, honoring the day that he broke baseball's color barrier. The foundation helps young people in need by providing scholarships and mentoring programs. .mHQYb header.mlb-header .header__nav-top{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;margin:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;position:relative;z-index:99993;padding:0 14px;background-color:#041e42;box-shadow:1px 0 5px #000000;}/*!sc*/