Here's to You, Jackie Robinson

After seeing Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers play in March of 1948, thirty-year-old Jesse Norwood saw the enthusiasm of the black community as more than just excitement for the sport - he saw an opportunity to help the lost and hopeless African-American youth living in segregated 1950s Mobile, Alabama. With no baseball experience and no knowledge of the game, Norwood transformed a group of scrawny youngsters into a strong team and a genuine force in the… (more)

After seeing Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers play in March of 1948, thirty-year-old Jesse Norwood saw the enthusiasm of the black community as more than just excitement for the sport - he saw an opportunity to help the lost and hopeless African-American youth living in segregated 1950s Mobile, Alabama. With no baseball experience and no knowledge of the game, Norwood transformed a group of scrawny youngsters into a strong team and a genuine force in the community, emerging as a figure worthy of legend whose legacy can still be felt today.