Jackie Robinson

The baseball world was changed in 1947, when Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers became the first major league team with an African-American player on their roster. Jackie Robinson was the trailblazer — enduring verbal abuse from fans and opponents while balancing his own expectations and aspirations as a ballplayer versus his heavily scrutinized role as an agent of social change. On the field, Robinson was a dazzling player and a relentless competitor. In his first four seasons, he stole 100 bases without being caught. The 1947 Rookie of the year and 1949 National League MVP led the Dodgers to six pennants and their first World Champioship in 1955. More importantly, his style, hustle and grace opened to the door for every black ballplayer that followed him. Robinson was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, and in 1997 to honor the 50th anniversary of his first season, Major League Baseball retired his uniform number 42, league-wide