Jackie and Branch -- Warriors United

“Wesley Branch Rickey was a moral man. He would have made an impressive fire-and-brimstone preacher, an effective politician, or a tough-to-beat lawyer, whether prosecuting or defending. But this man, like many of us, was fascinated by a boy's game – baseball.”

– Stan Musial

Today, April 15, 2019, Major League Baseball honors Jackie Robinson. It is the 72nd anniversary of his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. That day, Robinson changed the sport forever when he became the first African American to play Major League Baseball. And, that day in history represented much more – many believe it was the real beginning of the American Civil Rights movement.

The debut of Jackie Robinson was long before other events in the movement that occurred in Little Rock, Birmingham, Selma, and the Lincoln Memorial. Because of Jackie Robinson, Americans were forced to confront a world in which black and white men could work side by side for a common goal. The struggle had deep origins in American sports.

It must never be forgotten that Jackie Robinson was afforded this early opportunity by a fearless visionary named Wesley Branch Rickey. In his efforts to break the color barrier, Rickey was honoring two of the principles that guided his life: to provide equality for all and to speak out for what is right. Though his signing of Robinson was a business decision, its roots sprung from the need to right a wrong. The character of Branch Rickey was unquestioned.

Since the late 1880s, the owners of Major League baseball teams had operated under a deplorable “gentleman's agreement,” whereby they would not employ African American players. Rickey was determined to put an end to this policy. He explained …

“The very first thing I did when I came to Brooklyn in late 1942 was to investigate the approval of ownership for a Negro player. There was timeliness about the notion. The Negro in Americas was legally but never morally free. I thought: If the right man with control of himself could be found ...”

Jackie Robinson was that “right man.” He was not only a great player but also a model citizen. During his career, he endured harsh criticism from fans, other players, and even his own teammates. He was the target of bigoted insults, bean balls, and even death threats. Knowing that he carried the prospects of an entire race, though, Robinson endured it all without retaliating, and it literally “ate him alive.” He suffered from stomach pains. His hair turned gray prematurely. As the first season waned, however, the criticism diminished, and the praise grew.

You see, Branch Rickey believed that God had chosen Jackie Robinson for this noble purpose. He knew that if Jackie committed himself to doing this great thing, God would give him the strength he needed to see it through.

“Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who is afraid to fight back?” Robinson asked. “No,” came the reply. “I want a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.” Robinson relented; Rickey found his pioneer. The rest of the story reveals the amazing friendship and determination of the pair.

The Lucasville Roots of Rickey

The Rickeys were devoutly religious Methodists who adhered to the pious Wesleyan tradition of social liberalism. Self-discipline, education, and hard work were the predominant values in the rural Rickey home. It is very apparent that young Branch grew up in a family that believed in the principles of liberty and justice – ideals that that served him well when he boldly went against so many white, prejudiced colleagues in baseball. I wonder how many today in Lucasville even know the story. Its local roots deserve the honest declaration.

In 1892, the Rickey family moved to Lucasville,Ohio. The Rickeys moved into Squire Crain's house on Valley Pike across from Chandler Moulton's store. Here, they rented three rooms on each of two floors with separate entries on the front and rear.

Part of the reason for the move was that the family believed 11-year-old Branch Rickey was especially bright, and the one-room schoolhouse near Duck Run had given him all it could. At that time, the small village of Lucasville had a better school (two stories) with more than one overworked teacher and with a more complex curriculum. In addition, the school had a very resourceful superintendent, James H. Finney, a man who became one of Rickey's strongest influences and supporters.

Lucasville – with its school, its people, and its offer of broader opportunity – helped shape the foundation of Branch Rickey. The immeasurable positive effect of the local school system was paramount to his early development. In Lucasville, Branch overcame any reservations and blossomed as a scholar. This was also the place where he formed his enduring love for baseball while honing his athletic skills playing on local teams.

And speaking of affection? In addition, Branch met and married the love of his life, Jane Moulton Rickey, here in Lucasville. One biographer recalls the courtship and Branch saying: “I confessed my love for Jane and when she told me she loved me, I left the Moulton porch with eyes full of tears of joy.” Jane's steadfast love and positive influence were monumental in his life and career.

And, here in Lucasville, he formed many life-long friendships … so many that he knew Valley High as his “alma mater” and Lucasville as his “home town.” Many times he returned to the village to renew old ties and to relax with friends. Many relatives remain in the area to this day.

It is very important to understand that Branch Rickey, from the beginning, had a wide range of interests. As a young man, he became a rural school teacher, a lay preacher, and was once considered as a nominee for governor of Missouri. Of course, Rickey was also a tremendous athlete who played both baseball and football in college. Moreover, he was a man of tremendous intellect and immeasurable drive. He was fearsomely intelligent, well read, and thoughtful. He graduated law school at the University of Michigan and became head baseball coach while studying there.

“He talks with such pontifical oratory that he could and would make a reading of batting averages sound as impressive and as stirring as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,” said the New York Times’ Arthur Daley.

What about fate? The course of Branch Rickey's young life is indelibly etched in Lucasville history. In 1901, local school superintendents James Finney and Frank Appel, graduates of Ohio Wesleyan University, urged Branch to leave home and enter college in Delaware as a probationary student.

Thus, it was here in Lucasville that Branch Rickey committed his first exceedingly bold and rebellious act. His father told him, “I think you ought not go to college at this time.” But, Branch, with $62 in his pocket and the consent of his mother, flagged down the train at the Lucasville depot and chased his dream. “I wanted to go to college more than anything else in the world, and I didn't care how I got there,” he later said. What a payoff would follow … and soon … Rickey played on the OWU football and baseball teams in his freshman year.

“Lucasville Rick,” as Branch was affectionately known, went on to become an icon of baseball and a champion of civil rights, the man who rubbed out the deplorable color line in professional sports. He remains one of the most influential men in American history.

Red Smith, Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter, once said “If his goal had been the United States Supreme Court instead of the Cincinnati Reds, he would have been a giant on the bench.”

Branch Rickey's contributions went far beyond the game. He was as much about the betterment of people and society as he was baseball. He changed everything from the way players were evaluated to the way individuals were: by the content of their character.

Jackie Robinson, at the time of Rickey's death in 1965, said, "The passing of Mr. Rickey is like losing a father."

Note: I hope you join me in influencing Valley Schools to commemorate the tremendous life of Branch Rickey. I would love to see a permanent display at the high school with appropriate information about this baseball and civil rights pioneer. He is a positive role model whose life surely inspires the hopes and dreams of young Americans today. I believe in honoring Rickey we would also inspire scores of young scholars and athletes to uphold the best principles of our schools and of our community. Would you join me in making this history part of our heritage? Let me know if you would support this effort.