Jackie Robinson honored

History.com has an article about the first black baseball player in the Bigs, Jackie Robinson:

On 15 April 1947, Jackie Robinson, at 28, became the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he stepped onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than fifty years. Exactly fifty years later, on 15 April 1997, Robinson’s groundbreaking career was honored and his uniform number, 42, was retired from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig in a ceremony attended by over fifty thousand fans in New York City’s Shea Stadium. Robinson’s was the first-ever number retired by all teams in the league.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on 31 January 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of sharecroppers. Growing up, he excelled at sports and attended the University of California at Los Angeles, the first athlete to letter in four varsity sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track. After financial difficulties forced Robinson to drop out, he joined the Army in 1942 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. After protesting instances of racial discrimination during his military service, Robinson was court-martialed in 1944, though he was ultimately honorably discharged.
After the Army, Robinson played for a season in the Negro American League. In 1945, Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, recruited Robinson, known for his integrity and intelligence as well as his talent, to join one of the club’s farm teams. In 1947, Robinson was called up to the Majors and soon became a star infielder and outfielder for the Dodgers, as well as the National League’s Rookie of the Year. In 1949, the right-hander was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player and league batting champ. Robinson played on the National League All-Star team from 1949 through 1954, and led the Dodgers to six National League pennants and one World Series, in 1955. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility.
Despite his talent and success as a player, Robinson faced tremendous racial discrimination throughout his career, from baseball fans and some fellow players. Additionally, Jim Crow laws prevented Robinson from using the same hotels and restaurants as his teammates while playing in the South.
After retiring from baseball in 1957, Robinson became a businessman and civil rights activist. He died on 24 October 1972, aged 53, in Stamford, Connecticut.

Rico says some men are born to greatness, and some have it thrust upon them...