Jackie RobinsonBefore the Major LeagueThis person is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson moved with his mother and siblings to Pasadena, California, in 1920 after his father deserted the family. At the University of California, Los Angeles, he was a star player in football, basketball, track and baseball; the only athlete in UCLA history to compete in four different sports. He played with Kenny Washington, who would become one of the first black players in the National Football League since the early 1930s. Robinson also met his future wife, Rachel, at UCLA. His brother Matthew "Mack" Robinson (1912-2000) competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics, finishing second in the 200 meter sprint behind Jesse Owens. After leaving UCLA his senior year, Robinson enlisted in the United States Army during World War II. He trained with the separate US 761st Tank Battalion. Initially denied entry to Officer Candidate School, he fought his way through and was eventually accepted, graduating as a first lieutenant. While training at Fort Hood, Texas, Robinson refused to go to the back of a bus. He was court-martialed for insubordination and thus was never shipped to Europe with his unit. He received an honorable discharge in 1944, after being acquitted of all charges by court martial. Jackie played baseball in 1944 for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League where he caught the attention of Clyde Sukeforth, a scout working for Branch Rickey. .Number originally retired on June 4, 1972 Retired throughout North American baseball on April 15, 1997Jackie RobinsonPosition 2B (748 games)3B (356 games)1B (197 games)OF (162 games)SS (1 game)MLB Seasons 10Team( s) Brooklyn Dodgers Debut April 15, 1947 Final game September 30, 1956 Total games 1,382 at-bats 1,364 players NL Pennants 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956 World Series teams 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, -1949 All-Star Teams (2B),1950 (2B), 1951 (2B), 1952 (2B), 1953 (3B), 1954 (OF) Rookie of the Year Awards (1947) National League MVP (1949) Batting leader of the NL (.342 - 1949) Baseball Hall of Fame (1962) Nickname "Jackie" The DodgersBranch Rickey was the club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers and had a secret goal of recruiting the best players in the Negro Leagues in the team. Although there was no official ban on blacks in organized baseball, previous attempts to recruit black baseball players had been thwarted by league officials and rival clubs in the past, and Rickey has therefore operated undercover. His scouts were told they were looking for players for a new all-black league that Rickey was forming; even the scouts did not know its true purpose. Robinson gained national attention when Rickey selected him from a list of promising candidates and signed him..