In 1962 Jackie Robinson changed the face of Major league baseball forever by becoming the first African-American player to be inducted into the hall of Fame. Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. They were the only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond. In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America. At the end of Robinson's rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he had become National League Rookie of the Year with 12 homers, a league-leading 29 steals, and a .297 average.
In 1949, he was selected as the NL's Most Valuable player of the Year and also won the batting title with a .342 average that same year. As a result of his great success, Jackie was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Jackie Robinson's life and legacy will be remembered as one of the most important in American history.
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