A National Hero
He had been the first African American to ever play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. He symbolized the end of racial segregation in professional baseball.
Not only that: he had received the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949, and was the All-Star for six consecutive seasons. He was then inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.