Known to millions of fans as "Mr. Baseball," Branch Rickey was voted the "Most Influential Person in Sports
in the 20th Century" by ESPN’s SportsCentury panel.
Perhaps foremost among his accomplishments, Rickey was credited with breaking the color barrier in Major
League Baseball. As President and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, he signed the first black
player, Jackie Robinson. "The thing about him was that he was always doing something for someone else,"
Robinson recalled at Rickey’s death in 1965. "I know, because he did so much for me."
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Branch Rickey with Jackie Robinson |
"Luck," Rickey said, "is a residue of design." Many feel that he was the most masterful of baseball designers.
Rickey was chiefly responsible for the formation of the minor league farm system. He also stimulated baseball’s
expansion progress. Many of his innovations are still standard procedure today.
Rickey was a catcher in his playing days. Although he had a good arm, fair power and above average speed,
he is remembered more for his managerial talents and humanitarian deeds than his athletic prowess on the
baseball field.
Always a supporter of underprivileged children, Rickey helped start the "Knot Hole Gang" to offer kids who
could not afford a ticket a chance to attend Major League games.
Rickey was a family man who shared his religious faith with family, friends and business associates. Even
in his playing days, he had a clause in his contract excusing him from Sunday games, a concession to his
mother who believed that sports should not be permitted on a religious day.
Branch Rickey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. His life both on and off the field
inspired the award that bears his name.
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The Branch Rickey Award is presented annually by the Rotary Club of Denver.
Proceeds from the event benefit Denver Kids, Inc., a preventative counseling
and mentoring program for at-risk students in Denver Public Schools.
| ©2008 Rotary Club of Denver
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