UM Men
INSIGHTS
Branch Rickey served as vice-president of the Wesley Brotherhood By 1928, the Wesley Brotherhood of the Methodist Episcopal Church adopted a slogan: “A million Methodist men making the mind of the Master their main motive and mission.”
I’m doing this because you are a great ball player and a fine gentleman.”
The Men’s Work Commission consisted of 30 men. Edgar T. Welch, president of the Welch Grape Juice Company, served as president
Rickey signs Jackie Robinson
Rickey was born in Stockdale, Ohio, in 1881. And he played football and baseball for Valley High School in Lucasville, Ohio. In 1899, he entered Methodist-related Ohio Wesleyan University where he played baseball and football. Following his 1903 graduation, Rickey was named coach of the school’s baseball team while playing football for the Shelby Blues football team with Charles Follis, the first Black professional football player.
In 1942, Rickey moved from the Cardinal organization to become manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Five years later he signed Jackie Robinson to a minor league contract.
Rickey says his inspiration for bringing Robinson into baseball derived from the mean manner in which teammates treated his Black catcher Charles Thomas in 1903 and 1904.
Branch Rickey, then vice-president of the St. Louis National League Baseball Team, served as first vice president.
“He’s a Methodist, I’m a Methodist... And God’s a Methodist; we can’t go wrong,” said Rickey. Robinson was quickly moved from the minors to the Dodgers where he became the first African-American player in the major leagues. Rickey told Robinson, “We can’t fight our way through this. We’ve got no army. There’s virtually nobody on our side. No owners. No umpires. Very few newspapermen. And I’m afraid many fans will be hostile. We’ll be in a tough position. We can win only if we convince the world that 24
Rickey as a Cardinal
Rickey’s roots
