Branch Rickey – 1881-1885

In 1947, as president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, Rickey concluded a contract with Jackie Robinson, who thus became the first African American to play on a modern major league team. Before this, professional ball had been strictly segregated, with black players restricted to the Negro Leagues. By “crossing the color line” in professional baseball, Rickey and Robinson provided a spark that helped ignite a movement toward racial integration on a national scale.