Jackie Robinson was born in 1919 in Cairo, Georgia to sharecropping parents. His father left in 1920 and the family moved to Pasadena, California where Robinson grew up poor in a wealthy white neighborhood. He joined a gang but his friend Carl Anderson convinced him to leave. Robinson graduated from high school in 1935 where he played track and tennis, not baseball. In 1942, Robinson was drafted into the segregated Army but was discharged due to false charges of assault and resisting arrest. After leaving the military, Robinson took a job coaching the baseball team at Sam Huston College in 1944-45 where he had to also play due to a lack of players on the team.

1. By Bryan Thompson

3. Jackie was born on January 31, 1919. His parents were share croppers in
Cairo, Georgia. His father left in 1920 and the family moved to
Pasadena, California. He was poor in a rich and white neighborhood.
Robinson joined a gang because of it. Jackie’s best friend Carl
Anderson convinced him to leave the gang.

4. In 1935 he graduated from
Washington Junior hi-school.
Jackie didn’t even play baseball
in school, he played track and
tenis.

5. In 1942 Jackie Robinson was drafted to the
segregated Army Calvary in Fort Riley,
Kansas. He attempted to become an officer
but he was turned down (because he was
black). He was kicked out of the military due
to false charges. He was on a military bus
and the driver told him to sit in the back and
he did not. The driver backed off but then
when they arrived at the base the driver had
MPs arrest Jackie. He was released from the
military under the charges of assault and
resisting arrest.

6.  After Jackie Robinson was released from the
military he was offered a job from a friend at
Sam Huston Collage in Austin. His offer was
to coach the baseball team there for the 1944-
45 season. Robinson had to add himself to
the lineup do to a lack of players. He knew
the team was going to play terribly an they
did but Jackie was a still a respected coach.