Trivia

He had a mediocre major league playing career as a catcher at the turn of the twentieth century.

Helped break baseball's color line by signing up Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who became the modern major league's first African-American player in 1947.

As an executive with the Brooklyn Dodgers, pioneered the use of baseball statistics for evaluating players.

He invented the modern farm system while as an executive with the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1920s and 1930s.

Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Committee on Baseball Veterans in 1967.

General manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943-1949) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1950-1955).

In 1959, Rickey created a third major league named the Continental League. To counteract this, the National and American Leagues decided to add four new teams during the 1961 and 1962 seasons. This left the new league stillborn and not a single game was played (though it did create the expansion that Rickey had advocated many years earlier). Seven of the eight cities awarded franchises in the league (New York, Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Toronto, Denver, and Atlanta) are part of Major League Baeball today.

Managed the St. Louis Browns (1913-1915) and St. Louis Cardinals (1919-1925).

Played for the St. Louis Browns (1905-1906, 1914) and New York Highlanders (later known as the Yankees) in 1907.

As General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he signed a Latin player who was left unprotected by the Brooklyn Dodgers - Roberto Clemente.

Inducted into the Greater Akron [Ohio] Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.

Inducted into the Ohio Wesleyan University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1961 (inaugural class).