See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Tom Landry Story.
Life Lesson #64 – Maintain Your Health.
Jack Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919. He was the youngest of five children and when he was just a baby, his father left the family. That’s when his mother, who was extremely poor, took all five children and moved to Pasadena, California. There, they were the only black family on their block, and they were treated horribly by their neighbors. As a child, Jackie (as they called him) learned to take care of himself, making his mother’s job of raising five children by herself a little easier. He also loved all kinds of sports. And even though his family did not have much money, he found a way to go to college, and there, he became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four different sports! But after two years in college, he didn’t have the money to continue, and by then World War Two had already begun, so Jackie decided to join the Army. Even in the Army, though, others bullied him just because of the color of his skin.
After the war ended, Jackie came back home and played one season in what was called the Negro Baseball League, traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. Then, in 1947, a man named Branch Rickey, who was president of The Brooklyn Dodgers talked to Jackie about joining his team. He DID, and Jackie Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball since 1889, when baseball became segregated.
It was very, very difficult for him, though, because he was treated so badly by nearly everyone in the major leagues at the time, even by his own team mates, simply because his skin was a different color. For a long time he had only two white friends, the team’s president, Branch Rickey, and shortstop, Pee Wee Reece, who turned out to be a great friend for Jackie. But in spite of all the bullying, he kept his mind on the game and he became one of the greatest players ever in Major League Baseball. Not only did he “break the color barrier,” he set a wonderful example for hundreds of other players to follow. And he became a HERO to millions. His jersey had the number 42 on it. When a team has such an outstanding player, it is traditional to “retire” his jersey number from that team when that player retires. In Jackie Robinson’s case, though, he became so respected that the number 42 was, and still is retired from ALL major league baseball—the ONLY number ever to receive that honor.
– Jim Lord