Jack Roosevelt Robinson was an American professional baseball player who became the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers signing Robinson heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated black players to the Negro leagues since the 1880s.
Wesley Branch Rickey was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system, encouraged the major leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, and introduced the batting helmet. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges.
Walter Lanier "Red" Barber was an American sports announcer and author. Nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", he was primarily identified with broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four decades with the Cincinnati Reds (1934–1938), Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–1953), and New York Yankees (1954–1966). Like his fellow sportscasting pioneer Mel Allen, Barber also developed a niche calling college and professional American football in his primary market of New York City.
Fred E. "Dixie" Walker was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and minor league manager. He played as a right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1949. Although Walker was a five-time All-Star selection, and won a National League batting championship (1944) as well as an RBI championship (1945) as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, his accomplishments as a player were overshadowed by his attempt to keep Jackie Robinson from joining the Dodgers in 1947. He also played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Clyde Leroy Sukeforth, nicknamed "Sukey", was an American baseball catcher, coach, scout and manager. He was best known for scouting and signing Jackie Robinson, the first black player in the modern era of Major League Baseball (MLB), to the Brooklyn Dodgers, after Robinson was scouted by Tom Greenwade in the Negro leagues. He was also instrumental in scouting and acquiring Roberto Clemente for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Burton Edwin Shotton was an American player, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. As manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, he won two National League pennants and served as Jackie Robinson's first permanent Major League manager.
Branch Barrett Rickey is a baseball executive who served as the 17th and final President of the Pacific Coast League (PCL), a Triple-A baseball league competing in Minor League Baseball (MiLB). He previously served as the President of the American Association from 1991 to 1997 before the league disbanded in conjunction with the 1998 Major League Baseball expansion and Triple-A realignment.
The Jackie Robinson Story is a 1950 biographical film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Jackie Robinson as himself. The film focuses on Robinson's struggle with the abuse of bigots as he becomes the first African-American Major League Baseball player of the modern era. The film is in part based on Robinson's own autobiography, My Own Story. The film is among the list of films in the public domain in the United States.
The Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops are the sports and other competitive teams at Ohio Wesleyan University. The men's and women's Bishops teams are NCAA Division III teams that compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference and the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference. The university sponsors 25 varsity sports, as well as several intramural and club teams.
Charles W. Follis, also known as "The Black Cyclone," was the first Black professional American football player. He played for the Shelby Blues of the "Ohio League" from 1902 to 1906. On September 16, 1904, Follis signed a contract with the Blues, making him the first Black man contracted to play professional football on an integrated team. He was also the first Black catcher to move from college baseball into the Negro leagues.
Activism has played an important role in the history of Ohio Wesleyan University; The founders of Ohio Wesleyan University expressed a hope that the university "is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles." OWU has espoused activism in its academic philosophy. Alumni of the school have prominently engaged in controversial issues of their times on three central issues—the scope of justice; distributive justice based on race, gender, and income; and institutions related to preserving social structures.
The 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers season was the team's 65th season of play overall and its 58th season of play in the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Dodgers finished in first place in the National League with a record of 94–60, five games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals. They advanced to the 1947 World Series against the American League champion New York Yankees, but lost the series in seven games. The Dodgers played their home games at Ebbets Field.
Robert Clay Hopper was an American professional baseball player and manager in minor league baseball. Hopper played from 1926 through 1941 and continued managing through 1956.
Daniel William Daub was a 19th-century Major League Baseball pitcher born in Middletown, Ohio. After attending and playing baseball for Denison University, he played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1892 and with the Brooklyn Grooms/Bridegrooms from 1893 through 1897.
Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting is a play written by Edward Schmidt in 1989. The play had its debut at the Ironbound Theater in Newark, New Jersey. The play debuted on the West Coast, in 1992, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California. It was last revived at the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, with J. Nicole Brooks as director, as part of the 2011–12 season. The revival was nominated for three 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production (Large), Direction, and Ensemble.
42 is a 2013 American biographical sports drama film produced by Howard Baldwin and distributed by Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, 42 is based on baseball player Jackie Robinson, the first black athlete to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the modern era. The title of the film is a reference to Robinson's jersey number, which was universally retired across all MLB teams in 1997. The ensemble cast includes Chadwick Boseman as Robinson, alongside Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, André Holland, Lucas Black, Hamish Linklater, and Ryan Merriman in supporting roles.
The Edwards Gymnasium and Pfeiffer Natatorium is a building on the main campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. Inaugurated in 1906, it was designed by architect J.W. Yost and was built by Feick & Son. Edwards Hall is a 1,800-seat multi-purpose arena. Located at the south end of the campus in Delaware, Ohio, it was home to the OWU Battling Bishops men's and women's swimming and women's handball teams.
Wesley Branch Rickey Jr. was an American front office executive in Major League Baseball. The son of Baseball Hall of Fame club executive Branch Rickey, who among his many achievements invented the farm system and led the movement within Organized Baseball to break the color line, Branch Jr. — called "The Twig" by many — was a highly respected farm system director, but never headed his own organization. He was the father of Branch Barrett Rickey, widely known as "Branch Rickey III", a longtime baseball executive in the major and minor leagues.
The United States League (USL), alternately called the United States Baseball League, was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The USL was organized as a minor league in 1945 by Branch Rickey to serve as a platform to scout black players.
