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Dodgers: Jackie Robinson Statue Unveiling

By Jamaal Artis

Jan 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the jerseys of retired Los Angeles Dodgers players Jackie Robinson (42), Roy Campanella (39), Sandy Koufax (32), Walter Alston (24), Jim Gilliam (19), Duke Snider (4), Don Drysdale (53), Pee Wee Reese (1), Tommy Lasorda (2) and Don Sutton (20) at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the jerseys of retired Los Angeles Dodgers players Jackie Robinson (42), Roy Campanella (39), Sandy Koufax (32), Walter Alston (24), Jim Gilliam (19), Duke Snider (4), Don Drysdale (53), Pee Wee Reese (1), Tommy Lasorda (2) and Don Sutton (20) at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Jackie Robinson statue is the newest addition to Dodger Stadium.

20 years ago April 15th, 1997 Major League Baseball decided to honor Jackie Robinson by making him the first athlete in professional sports to have his number retired, Robinson became memorialized for his dignity and grace in the face of awful opposition to his integration of baseball.

Today Robinson will be honored by the only team he ever played for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The Dodgers will unveil the first statue to stand at Dodger Stadium, honoring Robinson not only for his place in baseball history but also for his play on the field.

By becoming the the first Dodger player to have a statue erected it Dodgers stadium, Robinson will now be immortalized in bronze so that Dodgers fans can recognize his fierce competitive play every time they arrive at the stadium.

While with the Dodgers Robinson ushered in a new style of play that showed his skills and speed, as he danced of the bases with flair trying to steal every base he could.

The statue’s design has Robinson stealing home as tribute to his ability to steal home.

As mentioned Robinson has Southern California roots starring first for Pasadena City College and then transferring to UCLA.

At UCLA Robinson lettered in 4 varsity sports football, track, basketball, and baseball.

After a year in the minors with the Montreal Royals, Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Some consider this the first spark in the Civil Rights movement for African Americans.

In that first year Robinson endured withering opposition from those who opposed the integration of baseball. But Robinson carried himself with a quiet dignity while also displaying a fiery competitiveness on the field.

The Dodgers would enjoy great success during Robinson’s years. They won 6 pennants and that first coveted World Series title in 1955.

Robinson would retire after the 1956 season and continue to fight for Civil Rights through out the United States. He passed away in 1972, dying from complications of diabetes.

Today’s unveiling will forever enshrine Robinson as a living memorial.

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