Jackie Robinson Facts – 31 Interesting Facts About Jackie Robinson

Facts About Jackie Robinson

In the army he struck friendship with boxing champion Joe Louis who was stationed at Fort Riley. He successfully protested against the delayed entry of black soldiers into the Office Candidate School (OCS), using Joe Louis fame and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1943.

His troubles did not end and he once refused to sit at the back of a segregated bus and was promptly arrested by the military police.

His duty officer recommended that he be court-martialed but he was acquitted from all charges and served Camp Breckinridge in Kentucky, where he worked as an Army athletics coach until he was given an honorable discharge in 1944.Ne never saw combat during the war.

Post discharge he was encouraged to try his luck with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro National League.

His real break came in 1945 when he signed a contract to play for the Kansas City Monarchs and was paid $400 a month and entered the big league Negro League All-Star Game that year.

He is married to Rachel Islum whom he had courted during his senior years at the UCLA in 1941.

Their first son Jackie Robinson Jr was born that November. They had two more kids, a daughter Sharon and another son David.

He was associated with Montreal Royals in 1946 and played Minor League Baseball

He was called over to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Major Leagues in 1947.

Robinson was the first African-American baseball player in Major League history and made his debut on April 15, 1947, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York.