Awards
- Jackie Robinson was chosen to throw the first pitch at the 1972 World Series.
- He won the NCAACP's famous award, the Spingarn Medal.
- He received an honorary degree from five different universities: the University of Maryland, Franklin Pierce College, Sacred Heart University, Pace University, and Howard University.
- He won the Two Friends Award of the National Urban League.
- He received a citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
- He led the International League with a .349 batting average in 1946.
- He was selected onto the National League All-Star Team six times.
- He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1947.
- He won the MVP Award for the National League in 1949.
- He had the best batting average in 1949, with .342.
- He had a career batting average of .311, 94th all-time.
- He led the league in on-base percentage in 1952, with .440.
- He had a career on-base percentage of .409, 40th all-time.
- He had a career OPS of .883, 81st all-time.
- He was second in the league with RBI's in 1949, with 124.
- He was first with stolen bases twice in his career: 1947 (29) and 1949 (37)
- He led the league with his power/speed number in 1947 (17.0), 1948 (15.5), 1949 (22.3), and again in 1952 (21.2).
Achievements
- He achieved the status of four-letterman while attending John Muir Technical High School.
- He carried Pasadena Junior College to a Junior College Championship in 1938.
- He was named California's Most Valuable Junior College Player in 1938.
- He held the National Junior College record for broad jump (now long jump).
- He claimed the NCAA broad jump win at 25' 6 1/2".
- He became the first athlete to letter in four sports at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles).
- He earned the rank of second Lieutenant while serving in the U.S. Army from 1942-1945.
- He was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame on June 10, 1984.
- He had a .985 fielding percentage while playing in the International League with the Montreal Royals.
- He broke baseball's color barrier in 1947.
- He was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 1947.
- He led the NL in total stolen bases in two years: 1947 and 1949.
- He had the most double plays out of all second basemen four years in a row: 1949-1952.
- He was named the NL Most Valuable Player in 1949.
- He won the batting title with a .342 batting average in 1949.
- He was selected on the National League All-Star Team from 1949-1954.
- He became the inspiration for the song, "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?"
- He held an amazing career batting average of .311 while a Brooklyn Dodger.
- He had a career All-Star game batting average of .333.
- He stole home a total of 19 times.
- He led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six World Series, with one World Series win.
- He starred in his own movie in 1950, "The Jackie Robinson Story."
- He had his own men's apparel store from 1952-1958 on Harlem's 125th street.
- He signed a contract with both WNBC and WNBT, where he would be Director of Community Activities in 1952.
- He became the VP for the Chock Full O' Nuts coffee company in 1957.
- He helped establish the Free National Bank.
- He was a member of the board of directors of NCAACP from 1957-1967.
- He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the first he could've made it.
- He served in numerous campaigns for NCAACP.
- He wrote his autobiography, "I Never Had It Made."
- He established in 1970 the Jackie Robinson Construction Company to benefit families with low incomes by building houses for them.
- He opened many doors for African-Americans that were previously locked tight.