Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

To me a hero is an everyday person who inspires you. My hero is Jackie Robinson. He was very motivated, determined, and fearless. The significance of Jackie Robinson is that he has went through so much diversity growing up and has accomplished being the first African American in the MLB (Major League Baseball) in the modern era. He has also inspired many other African Americans such as Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron who were some of the greats of all time. He is a role model to all people.

Jackie Robinson sliding into Home Plate (http://www.dugout-memories.com/goffebb6.jpg)

Jackie was born on January 31st, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the youngest of 4 children. His three brothers were Frank, Edgar, and Mack. His sister’s name was Willie-Mae. His mother's name was Mallie and his fathers name was Jerry. His father abandoned the family when Jackie was only 6 months old. Then the family moved to Pasadena, California. The street they eventually moved on which was Cherry Street faced a lot of racial discrimination. His family was one of the few non-whites in the neighborhood. Growing up he was called racial and inappropriate names. He was dragged into a gang called the “Pepper Street Gang” which was made up of African Americans, Hispanics, and some Asians. Then he got out of this gang because something great happened to him…”SPORTS!”

Jackie Robinson holding Plaque (http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=80365&rendTypeId=4)

Sports really helped him and his family get through life. His older brother Edgar was into softball. Frank, his second oldest brother loved to run. His favorite event was the 100 yard dash. His sister Willie-Mae was on every sport team except soccer, basketball, and the track team. Now I see where Jackie got his inspiration from. In school, kids would offer Jackie cookies and dimes to play on their sport teams because, Jackie basically excelled in every sport. Then Jackie went to Pasadena Jr. College. There he won All-Southern California short-stop. He also led all California Schools in base stealing. He was eventually the Jr. College record holder for the Broad Jump where he got 25 feet and 6 and a half inches. In 1938 a Pasadena newspaper named him “Out Standing Athlete of the Year.” He was then accepted into UCLA College where everything turned around.

In UCLA he became the first Four Letter Athlete in UCLA history. He also got the title of being the West Coast's highest scorer in basketball. Jackie Robinson accomplished all this when he went through racial discrimination his whole life. Then tragedy struck. His brother Frank died in a horrible motorcycle accident. Jackie was throbbing in pain. Then, to soothe his brother's death, he met a girl named Rachel Isum. They began dating. He eventually married her in February in 1946.

The year of 1944 is when he began his Professional Baseball career. It wasn’t the MLB, it was the NNL (National Negro League) only because the white players didn’t feel like having an African American on there team. Then the next year, 1945, Mr. Branch Rickey, the Vice President of the Brooklyn Dodgers asked Jackie Robinson an important question. He asked him to integrate Major League Baseball. Later on Jackie joined the Montreal Royals which was farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1947 Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the MLB in the modern era, stepped foot on the field and was ready to play. By doing this, he finally broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Jackie’s own teammates didn’t like the fact that they had an African American on their baseball team. People in the crowds would yell racial remarks toward him and his family, he even received threats, but did that stop him? No it did not. He wound up hitting 12 homeruns, helping his team win the League Pennant. For all this, Jackie Robinson wasn’t just the first African American in the MLB, he was also the first African American to win Rookie Of The Year. And in 1949 he had an outstanding average of 342. the best of his 10 year career. That year he won the National League's Most Valuable Player. He then Retired after the 1956 season. Six years later he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1962 in July.

Jackie Robinson's Grave (http://www.thedeadballera.com/GravePhotos/Robinson.Jackie.Grave.html)

His son died nine years later on June 17 in an automobile accident just like Jackie’s brother Frank. One year after Jackie’s son's death, he died at age 53 on October 24, 1972 in Stamford, Connecticut.

Jackie’s legacy still goes on. He has inspired me to never quit anything and to always give it my best no matter what. This is my hero Jackie Robinson.