Jackie Robinson made history by breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

Signed as a Brooklyn Dodger in 1947, Robinson suffered constant abuse, racial slurs, even physical attack. But he persevered, earning Most Valuable Player honors in 1949 and leading the Dodgers to six World Series. Robinson first exhibited his athletic and leadership skills as a student at UCLA, where he lettered in baseball, football, basketball and track.

In 1962 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and, additionally, in 1997 his number, 42, was retired from all of Major League Baseball. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Photo courtesy of Hard Road to Glory, AP/Worldwide Photos