LOS ANGELES >> Jackie Robinson wanted baseball to hire its first African-American manager. He said so directly at the 1972 World Series, in his final public appearance nine days before his death.
Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947 and paved the path for many of those who honored him Saturday at Dodger Stadium, at the unveiling of a Robinson statue. Few people can trace a more direct path to Robinson’s legacy than Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts followed Robinson onto the UCLA baseball field, which by that point had been named Jackie Robinson Stadium.