June 2013 - Black Sports The Magazine

Association of Sports Editors (NNNAA) touted Robinson more
than any other athlete. Members knew as well as Rickey that the
first player to break the color line needed to be more than just a
great athlete. In order to succeed, he also needed the social,
emotional and intellectual skills to survive the scrutiny of a nation.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, in 1919 to
a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie, single-handedly
raised Robinson and four other children. He was the youngest
of the five children, after Edgar, Frank, Matthew and Willa Mae.
Growing up in a large, single-parent family, Robinson excelled
early at all sports, and learned to make his way in life. In high
school, Robinson played several sports at the varsity level, and
lettered in four of them: football, basketball, track and baseball.
He played shortstop and catcher on the baseball team,
quarterback on the football team Robinson and guard on the
basketball team.
After high school, Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College,
where he played basketball, football, baseball and ran track. On
the football team, he played quarterback and safety. He was
shortstop and leadoff hitter for the baseball team, and he broke
the school’s long jump record held by his brother Matthew “Mack”
Robinson. In 1938, he was elected to the All-Southland Junior
College Team for baseball, and was selected as the region’s
Most Valuable Player.
After graduating from junior college, Robinson transferred to the
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he became
the school’s first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports:
baseball, basketball, football and track. In track and field, he
won the 1940 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship in
the long jump. In 1941, he was named to the All-American football
team. In the spring of 1941, he left college just shy of graduation,
due to financial issues and the cost of college.
In 1942, Robinson was drafted and assigned to a segregated
Army cavalry unit in Fort Riley, Kansas. He had this can do spirit,
the fight for justice, the ability to articulate a situation and find
solutions. Having the requisite qualifications, he applied for Officer
Candidate School (OCS), then located at Fort Riley. Although the
Army’s initial July 1941 guidelines for OCS had been drafted as
race-neutral, practically speaking, few Black applicants were
admitted in OCS. After protests by heavyweight boxing champion
Joe Louis, also stationed at Fort Riley, and civilian aides to the
Secretary of War, he and other Blacks were accepted to OCS.
Robinson was commissioned as a second lieutenant in January
1943.
In July 1944, Robinson boarded an Army bus, and was asked to
move to the back of the bus. He refused, and the bus driver had
him arrested. When he confronted the investigating officer about
racist questioning, the officer recommended he be courtmartialed.
By the time of the court-martial in August 1944, the
charges against Robinson had been reduced. He was acquitted
by an all-White panel of nine officers.
Robinson was honorably discharged from the Army. He returned
to his football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs. Later, he accepted
an offer to be Athletic Director at Sam Huston College (renamed:
Huston-Tillotson University) in Texas. In early 1945, while he
was at Sam Huston, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him a written
offer to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues.
Because of his great play with the Monarchs, he was chosen to
play in the 1945 Negro League All-Star Game.
After being signed to the Brooklyn’s International League farm
club in October 1945, Robinson arrived in Florida in the spring of
1946, and was met with bigoted acts and racist attitudes. But, he
endured because he was on a mission to do well with the
Montreal team and eventually play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He
led the International League in batting, and was named league
Most Valuable Player. The Montreal (Canadian) fans treated him
very well. He was their hero, and really helped the International
League’s attendance.
On April 15, 1947, Robinson became the first Black man to play
in a modern Major League Baseball (MLB) game. He was derided
by opposing teams. Some, notably the St. Louis Cardinals,
threatened to strike if Robinson played. After the threat, National
League President Ford Frick and baseball Commissioner Happy
Chandler let it be known, that any striking players would be
suspended. Robinson had to deal with threats to his life, rough
physical play by opponents, name calling, serious injuries
caused by other players trying to spike him, or pitchers sending
pitches near his head.
He was chosen the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year in 1947.
The Brooklyn Dodgers also won the 1947 National League
Pennant. Robinson brought excitement to Major League
Baseball. He brought new fans to the game, and a renewed
interest. He became a hero, extremely popular and a legend.
Branch Rickey, the innovator, had now helped to integrate
baseball. While he was President and General Manager with
Brooklyn, he opened a full-time spring training facility in Vero
Beach, Florida. Rickey helped develop the batting cage, pitching
machines, batting helmets and use of statistical analysis for
baseball. He prepared the Dodgers to be competitive and to win
the National League Pennants in 1947 and 1949. Rickey also
developed the Dodgers into winners for the future. They won
National League Pennants in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1959.
The Dodgers won World Series Championships in 1955 and
1959.
Rickey sold his Brooklyn Dodgers interest in 1950, for more
than a million dollars (a fortune in 1950). Later, he was offered
the position of general manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He
retired from baseball in 1955. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the
World Series in 1960. This had a lot to do with Rickey preparing
the team for success.
Rickey must be credited with bringing so many innovations to
the sport of baseball, techniques and ideas that also benefitted
all sports. He discovered and helped to develop great players,
like Baseball Hall of Famers Dizzy Dean, Joe Medwick, Enos
Slaughter, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie
Robinson, Roberto Clemente, etc. It is Rickey’s signing of
Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers that he will most be
remembered.
Robert E. Lewis is a management consultant, businessman,
management/marketing professor and certified Educational
Foundation Instructor. He can be contacted at:
RShaft88@aol.com.
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22 BSTM June 2013