Ed Charles

Ed Charles

Birthdate	04/29/1933
Death Date	3/15/2018
Debut Year	1962
Year of Induction
Teams	Athletics, Mets
Position	Third Base

Ed Charles was depicted in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42. Robinson served as inspiration for Charles for Major League Baseball & beyond.

1969 World Champion Ed Charles drew inspiration from Jackie Robinson

You might remember the depiction of Ed Charles in the Jackie Robinson biopic “42”. Shown as a young boy, the Charles character eagerly greets the train carrying Jackie Robinson. As the train leaves the station, Charles puts his ear to the tracks, exclaiming that he can still hear the loc

In retirement Jackie Robinson continued to help minorities

Personal checks are an outstanding way to obtain an authentic autograph. Here Jackie Robinson writes a check on January 29, 1964. The check is make out to Chock Full O’ Nuts, a company that focused on hiring minority employees. In fact, almost three-quarters of the work force was black. Robinson

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier on the field and in Cooperstown

The image shows Jackie Robinson holding his Hall of Fame plaque at Cooperstown on July 23, 1962 when he was the first black or African American inducted. Robinson enjoyed a ten-year big league career that spanned from 1947-1956. Along the way he was the Rookie of the

Stories about Ed Charles

Jackie Robinson inspired future MLB player Ed Charles

June 15th, 2016 Leave a comment

Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” By that measurement, Robinson’s life may be the most important the game of baseball has ever known. Though it’s easy to see the cultural impact of Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier, the individual stories sometimes get lost in the bigger picture. For former Major Leaguer Ed Charles, Robinson emergence was a turning point, not only for the United States, but perhaps more importantly, for an entire segment of its population. “The emergence of Mr. Jackie Robinson as the first black to play modern day organized baseball had a monumental impact upon my life, and I’m sure, the lives of other Americans as well,” Charles wrote in a letter 1984. An eight-year big league veteran, Charles was aware of Robinson at an early age. Charles believed that Robinson’s impact was felt by the nation and its individuals. “Jackie represented to me, given the social climate of the nation at that time, hope, courage, and a new faith in a system that had been grossly neglectful of providing equal participation for its minority citizens,” Charles wrote. “His presence stirred me, as well as others, to redirect our goals […]

Dodgers pitch in $250,000, restore pride at Jackie Robinson’s high school

April 20th, 2016 Leave a comment

In what can only be described as a sad state of affairs, the baseball field at Jackie Robinson’s high school alma mater fell into severe disrepair. A sloping outfield, dusty infield full of pebbles, and poor dugout areas gave the field at John Muir High School in Pasadena, California a look of neglect and decay. It wasn’t always this way. Robinson and older brother Mack brought prestige and honor to John Muir. The elder Robinson was a track star there and eventually earned a silver medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics, while Jackie lettered in baseball, football, basketball, and track. Over the years Muir produced many professional baseball players including a member of the 400-home run club in Darrell Evans who graduated in 1965. Evans was selected in Major League Baseball’s inaugural first-year player draft upon graduation. Over the first five years of the draft, MLB franchises took six Muir Mustangs. Over the next three decades 14 more Mustang players were drafted. As the 1990s ended, so too did the Mustangs’ baseball success. With the school’s declining enrollment and the emergence of basketball and football as Muir’s best sports, baseball became an afterthought. Interest in the sport waned, the Mustang […]