Google dedicated its search homepage to Jackie Robinson in honor of the deceased former baseball player’s birthday Thursday.
Robinson died in 1972 at the age of 53. He would have been 94 on Thursday.
Robinson, of course, broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947 as a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Playing at a time when much of the country was still segregated, Robinson faced intense racism, criticism, and scrutiny, yet he managed to perform and behave admirably. Robinson won Rookie of the Year in ’47.
He made six All-Star teams and won MVP 1949 after hitting .342 while stealing 37 bases.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962, Robinson is survived by his wife, Rachel, who is 90. The two met at UCLA where Jackie was a standout baseball, football, basketball, and track athlete.
It took a man of extremely special character to break baseball’s color barrier, and the Dodgers couldn’t have found a better person to help integrate the sport.
