Jackie Robinson, a star athlete at UCLA, broke the color barrier on April 15, 1947, by becoming the first Black baseball player to play in the Major Leagues.
After a stellar career that ended in 1956, Robinson had set a record for the number of times any player in MLB history had stolen home.
Robinson’s record remains unbroken 66 years later. In 1947, he stole home twice, and in 1948 and 1949 he stole home five times to bring his total to 12.
He finished his career by stealing home one time each season from 1950-1956 to finish with 18 steals of home, and 200 steals overall.
Not only was Robinson a daring base runner, but he was a skillful hitter who finished his career with a .313 batting average. He also scored 972 runs, registered 1,516 hits, totaled 734 runs batted in and hit 137 home runs.
Fighting against racial slurs and hateful remarks during his rookie season, Robinson was hit by pitches more than any player in the Majors except for one.
Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award, was selected for the National League’s All-Star Team 1949-1954 and was inducted into MLB’s Hall of Fame in 1962.
Eight years after his induction, Robinson started the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to provide housing for low-income families.
He once said that a life is not important except for the impact it has on others’ lives.
Robinson’s jersey number for the Brooklyn Dodgers was 42, and a Hollywood movie has been made about his life. The title of the movie is “42.”
