Branch Rickey Wesley Branch Rickey ( December 20 , 1881 – December 9 , 1965 ) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967 . He was known for breaking Major League Baseball ' s color barrier by signing African American player Jackie Robinson , for drafting the first Afro - Hispanic superstar , Roberto Clemente , for creating the framework for the modern minor league farm system , for encouraging the Major Leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League , and for introducing the batting helmet . Rickey played in MLB for the St . Louis Browns and New York Highlanders from 1905 through 1907 . After struggling as a player , Rickey returned to college , where he learned about administration from Philip Bartelme . Returning to MLB in 1913 , Rickey embarked on a successful managing and executive career . Rickey also had a career in the sport of American football , as a player for the professional Shelby Blues and as a coach at Ohio Wesleyan University and Allegheny College . His many achievements and deep Christian faith earned him the nickname " the Mahātmā . " Early life . Rickey was born in Stockdale , Ohio , the son of Jacob Frank Rickey and Emily Brown Rickey . Rickey was a relative of Beth Rickey , a Louisiana political activist . He was a catcher on the baseball team at Ohio Wesleyan University , where he obtained his B . A . Rickey was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity . Career . Early career . In 1902 , Rickey played professional football for the Shelby Blues of the " Ohio League " , the direct predecessor to the modern National Football League . Rickey often played for pay with Shelby while he was attending Ohio Wesleyan . During his time with Shelby , Rickey became friends with his teammate Charles Follis , who was the first black professional football player . He also played against him on October 17 , 1903 , when Follis ran for a 70 - yard touchdown against the Ohio Wesleyan football team . After that game Rickey praised Follis , calling him " a wonder . " It is also possible that Follis ' poise and class under the pressures of such racial tension , as well as his exceptional play in spite of it , could have inspired Rickey to sign Jackie Robinson decades later . In 1903 , Rickey signed a contract with Terre Haute , Indiana of the Class B Central League , making his professional debut on June 20 . Rickey was assigned to Le Mars , Iowa of the Class D Iowa - South Dakota League . During this period , Rickey also spent two seasons — 1904 and 1905 — coaching baseball and football and teaching at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania . Rickey debuted in the major leagues , with the St . Louis Browns in 1905 . Sold to the New York Highlanders in 1907 , Rickey could neither hit nor field while with the club , and his batting average dropped below . 200 . One opposing team stole 13 bases while Rickey was behind the plate , setting a record which still stands a century later . Rickey also injured his throwing arm and retired as a player after just one year . Active Freemason - member of Tuscan Lodge No . 360 , St . Louis , Missouri . Return to college . Rickey attended the University of Michigan , where he received his LL . B . While at Michigan , Rickey applied for the job as Michigan ' s baseball coach . Rickey asked every alumnus he had ever met to write letters to Philip Bartelme , the school ' s athletic director , on his behalf . Bartelme recalled , " Day after day those letters came in . " Bartelme was reportedly impressed with Rickey ' s passion for baseball and his idealism about the proper role of athletics on a college campus . Bartelme convinced the dean of the law school that Rickey could handle his law studies while serving as the school ' s baseball coach . Bartelme reportedly called Rickey into his office to tell him he had the job if only " to put a stop to those damn letters that come in every day . " The hiring also marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship and business relationship between Rickey and Bartelme . Bartelme and Rickey worked together for most of the next 35 years , and in 1944 a California newspaper noted : " He and Rickey have had a close association in baseball ever since Bartelme was head of the athletic department of the University of Michigan where Rickey took to baseball just as a means to build up his failing health . " Return to professional baseball . Rickey returned to the big leagues in 1913 , as a front office executive with the Browns . He was responsible for signing young George Sisler . Rickey became the team ' s manager for the final 12 games of the season , and managed the team for two more full seasons . But the Browns finished under . 500 both years . Rickey served as an officer in the U . S . Army in France during World War I . He commanded a chemical training unit that included Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson . Rickey served in the 1st Gas Regiment during the war , and spent over four months as a member of the Chemical Warfare Service . He then returned to St . Louis in 1919 , but clashed with new Browns owner Phil Ball and jumped to the crosstown Cardinals , to become team president and manager . In 1920 , Rickey gave up the team presidency to the Cards ' new majority owner , Sam Breadon . He then led the Cardinals on the field for another five seasons , before being fired early in the 1925 season . His 6 + years as a manager were relatively mediocre , although the team posted winning records from 1921 to 1923 . Rickey wisely invested in several minor league baseball clubs , using them to develop future talent for the Cardinals major league roster . He was 43 years old , had been a player , manager and executive in the Major Leagues and had shown no indication whatsoever that he would ever deserve to belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame . But even though he was not the first " general manager " in Major League Baseball history — his title was " business manager " — Rickey ( as inventor of the farm system ) would come to embody the position of the baseball operations executive who mastered scouting , player acquisition and development and business affairs — the definition of the modern GM . Rogers Hornsby replaced Rickey to become a player - manager , and in 1926 , his first full year as manager , Rickey then led the Cardinals to their first World Series championship . Farm system and other innovations . By 1930 , Rickey ' s Cardinals , known as the " Gashouse Gang " , were the class of the National League . They won 101 games in 1931 and won the World Series in seven games . The star of the 1931 World Series was rookie Pepper Martin , one of the first Cardinal stars that came from Branch ' s minor league system . Soon , other minor league graduates joined the team , among them future hall of famers Dizzy Dean and Joe Medwick , nicknamed " Ducky " , and Dean ' s brother Paul " Daffy " Dean . The Deans and Medwick were integral parts of the 1934 Cardinals , who won the franchise ' s third World Series title . Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis was concerned that Rickey ' s minor league system was going to ruin the game of baseball by destroying most existing minor league teams , and he twice released over 70 Cardinal minor leaguers in attempts to stop what he perceived to be a cover - up . Despite Judge Landis ' best efforts , however , Rickey ' s minor league system stayed in existence , and similar systems were adopted by every major league team within a few years . Arguably , the farm system " saved " the minor leagues , by keeping them " necessary " after the television age began and minor league attendance figures declined . Rickey continued to develop the Cardinals up until the early 1940s . In his final year at St . Louis , 1942 , the Cardinals had their best season in franchise history , winning 106 games and the World Series title . The team was led by a new crop of players developed by the Cardinals , two of whom , Enos Slaughter and Stan Musial , became Hall of Famers ; and several others , among them future MVP Marty Marion , who were among the best at their position during their eras . Even their manager Billy Southworth was a product of their farm system . Rickey was a good friend of Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Larry MacPhail , himself a sound baseball man . MacPhail enlisted in the army to serve in World War II after the 1942 season , and the Dodgers hired Branch Rickey to replace him as President and GM , ending a tenure of over two decades with the Cardinals . Branch continued being an innovator in his time with Brooklyn . He was responsible for the first full - time spring training facility , in Vero Beach , Florida , and encouraged the use of now - commonplace tools such as the batting cage , pitching machine s , and batting helmets . He also pioneered the use of statistical analysis in baseball ( what is now known as sabermetrics ) , when he hired statistician Allan Roth as a full - time analyst for the Dodgers in 1947 . After viewing Roth ' s evidence , Rickey promoted the idea that on - base percentage was a more important hitting statistic than batting average . While working under Rickey , Roth was also the first person to provide statistical evidence that platoon effects were real and quantifiable . Breaking the color barrier . Rickey ' s most memorable act with the Dodgers involved signing Jackie Robinson , thus breaking baseball ' s color barrier , which had been an unwritten rule since the 1880s . This policy had continued under a succession of baseball leaders , including Landis , who was openly opposed to integrating Major League Baseball for what he regarded as legitimate reasons . Landis died in 1944 , but Rickey had already set the process in motion , having sought ( and gained ) approval from the Dodgers Board of Directors in 1943 to begin the search for " the right man " . On August 28 , 1945 , Rickey signed Robinson to a minor league contract . Robinson had been playing in the Negro leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs . On October 23 , 1945 , it was announced that Robinson would join the Montreal Royals , the Dodgers ' International League affiliate , for the 1946 season . He would end up as the league ' s batting champion , and led the Royals to a dominant league championship . There was no statute officially banning the blacks from baseball , only a universally recognized unwritten rule which no club owner was prepared to break . A rule perpetuated by culturally entrenched racism and a desire by club owners to be perceived as representing the values and beliefs of everyday , American , white man . The service of black Americans in the Second World War , and the celebrated pre - war achievements of black athletes in American sports , such as Joe Louis in boxing and Jesse Owens in track , paved the way for the cultural shift necessary to break the barrier . Rickey knew that Robinson would face racism and discrimination . Rickey made it clear in their momentous first meeting that he anticipated wide - scale resistance both inside and outside baseball to opening its doors to Negroes . As predicted by Rickey , right from the start , Robinson faced obstacles among his teammates and other teams ' players . However harsh the white people were towards Robinson , he could not retaliate . Robinson had agreed with Rickey not to lose his temper and jeopardize the chances of all the blacks who would follow him if he could help break down the barriers . Red Barber recounted in Ken Burns ' s documentary " Baseball " that Rickey ' s determination to desegregate Major League Baseball was born out of a combination of idealism and astute business sense . The idealism was at least partially rooted in an incident involving a team for which Rickey worked early on . While managing at Ohio Wesleyan University , an African - American player , Charles Thomas , was extremely upset at being refused accommodation at the hotel where the team stayed because of his race . Though an infuriated Rickey managed to get him into the hotel for the night , he never forgot the incident and later said " I may not be able to do something about racism in every field , but I can sure do something about it in baseball . " The business element was based on the fact that the Negro Leagues had numerous star athletes , and logically , the first Major League team to hire them would get first pick of the players at an attractive price . At the time , Mexican brewery czar Jorge Pasquel was raiding the U . S . for black talent ( " e . g . " , Satchel Paige ) , as well as disgruntled white players , for the Mexican League with the idea of creating an integrated league that could compete on a talent level with the U . S . major leagues . However idealistic , Rickey did not compensate Monarchs ownership for the rights to obtain Robinson , nor did he pay for rights to Don Newcombe , who would also join the Dodgers from a Negro leagues club . Rickey also attempted to sign Monte Irvin but Newark Eagles business owner Effa Manley refused to allow Irvin to leave her club without compensation . When she threatened to sue him in court , Rickey stopped the pursuit of Irvin , who would later sign with the New York Giants . Amid much fanfare , Jackie debuted , and turned out to be a success . Robinson was baseball ' s first rookie of the year , and while he was often jeered by opposing baseball players , managers , and fans , he became extremely popular with the American public . His success became the crowning achievement of Rickey ' s illustrious career . His Dodgers would make the World Series that year . Although they lost in seven games to the New York Yankees , Rickey ' s vision and action had set the stage for the Dodgers to be contenders for decades to come . And it opened the door for other leaders like Bill Veeck of the Cleveland Indians , who integrated the American League in 1947 , as well . Later career . In 1950 , there were four owners of the Dodgers , each with one quarter of the franchise . When one of the four died , Walter O ' Malley took control of that quarter . Also in 1950 , Branch Rickey ' s contract as Dodger president expired , and Walter O ' Malley decided that were Rickey to retain the job , almost all of Rickey ' s power would be gone ; for example , he would no longer take a percentage of every franchise sale ; Rickey declined a new contract as President . Then , in order to be a majority owner , O ' Malley offered to buy Rickey ' s portion . Seeing no reason to hold on to the club , Rickey decided to comply . However , in a final act of retaliation against O ' Malley , Rickey instead offered the club percentage to a friend for a million dollars . His chances at complete franchise control at risk , O ' Malley was forced to offer more money , and Rickey finally sold his portion for $ 1 , 050 , 000 . After leaving the Dodgers , Rickey was offered the position of general manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates . During the 1953 season , the Pirates became the first team to permanently adopt batting helmets on both offense and defense . These helmets resembled a primitive fiberglass " miner ' s cap " . This was the mandate of Rickey , who also owned stock in the company producing the helmets . Under Rickey ' s orders , all Pirate players had to wear the helmets both at bat and in the field . The helmets became a permanent feature for all Pirate hitters , but within a few weeks the team began to abandon their use of helmets on defense , partly because of their awkwardly heavy feel . Once the Pirates discarded the helmets on defense , the trend disappeared from the game . Health problems forced Branch Rickey to retire in 1955 ; however , his contributions would help lead to a World Championship for Pittsburgh in 1960 . Death . A public speaker in his later years , on November 13 , 1965 , Rickey collapsed in the middle of a speech in Columbia , Missouri , as he was being elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame . He had told a story of physical courage , and was about to relate an illustration from the Holy Bible , " Now I ' m going to tell you a story from the Bible about spiritual courage , " he said . Rickey murmured he could not continue , collapsed and never spoke again . He faltered , fell back into his seat and slipped onto the floor . He never regained consciousness . His brain was damaged when his breathing stopped momentarily , though his heart picked up its rhythm again . Through the next 26 days , hospitalized in a coma , there was little change . On Thursday , December 9 , 1965 at about 10 p . m . he died of heart failure at Boone County Memorial Hospital in Columbia , Missouri . Death came just 11 days before his 84th birthday . Branch Rickey was interred at Rush Township Burial Park in Rushtown , Ohio , near where his parents , his widow Jane ( who died in 1971 ) , and three of his children ( including his son , Branch Rickey Jr . , who died from complications of diabetes in 1961 ) also rest . Rickey ' s grave overlooks the Scioto Valley , about three miles from his boyhood home in Lucasville , Ohio . At his funeral , Jackie Robinson contended that only Abraham Lincoln had done more for African Americans than had Rickey . Honors and legacy . In addition to Rickey ' s election to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1967 , in 1997 he was inducted into the St . Louis Walk of Fame , in 2009 he was elected the College Baseball Hall of Fame . A ballpark in Portsmouth , Ohio , once used by the Portsmouth Explorers , a charter member of the Frontier League before the club folded in 1996 , is named in Rickey ' s honor . In 1992 , Rotary International of Denver , Colorado , created the Branch Rickey Award , which is given annually to a Major League Baseball player in recognition of exceptional community service . Outside of Coors Field in Denver is a monument to Rickey by the sculptor George Lundeed , dedicated in 2005 , with this simple inscription : It is not the honor that you take with you but the heritage you leave behind . Another quotation attributed to Rickey is : Luck is the residue of design . His descendants also became involved in baseball : his son , Branch Jr . , who died four years before his father , and Branch Rickey III , a president of the Pacific Coast League . In popular culture . In the 2013 film " 42 " , Rickey is played by Harrison Ford . In the 1996 HBO movie " Soul of the Game , " Rickey is played by Edward Herrmann . In the 1950 movie The Jackie Robinson Story he is portrayed by Minor Watson . External links .