Jackie and Campy: The Untold Story of Their Rocky Relationship and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Line

247 Pages·2014·16.826 MB·English

by  William C. Kashatus

JAC K I E
&&
C A M P Y

J A C K I E
&
C A M P Y
Th e Untold Story of
Th eir Rocky Relationship and the
Breaking of Baseball’s Color Line
William C. Kashatus
University of Nebraska Press
Lincoln and London
© 2014 by William C. Kashatus. Portions of chapters 3, 4, and 5
previously appeared in William C. Kashatus, September Swoon:
Richie Allen, the 1964 Phillies and Racial Integration (University
Park: Penn State Press, 2004). Used with permission. All rights
reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Kashatus, William C.
Jackie and Campy: the untold story of their rocky relationship
and the breaking of baseball’s color line / William C. Kashatus.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978- 0- 8032- 4633- 1 (cloth: alk. paper)— isbn 978- 0- 8032-
5447- 3 (epub)— isbn 978- 0- 8032- 5448- 0 (mobi)— isbn 978- 0-
8032- 5446- 6 (pdf) 1. Robinson, Jackie, 1919– 1972. 2. African
American baseball players— Biography. 3. Campanella, Roy,
1921– 1993. 4. Baseball players— United States— Biography.
5. Male friendship— United States. 6. Racism in sports— United
States. 7. Discrimination in sports— United States. I. Title.
gv865.r6k37 2014 796.3570922— dc23 [B] 2013033133
Set in Minion Pro by Laura Wellington.
Designed by A. Shahan.
For Michael Zuckerman
and to the memory of
Peter Cline, gift ed educators
who recognized and
cultivated my love of history

Contents
List of Illustrations viii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. Brooklyn’s Bums 13
2. Rickey’s Choice 31
3. Jackie and Campy 56
4. Breaking the Color Line 81
5. Teammates 106
6. Striking Back 118
7. Collision Course 136
8. Breakup 161
Epilogue 181
Notes 189
Bibliography 217
Index 225
Illustrations
Figures 15. Roy Campanella with pitcher
1. Booker T. Washington 5 Don Newcombe 88
2. W. E. B. Du Bois 7 16. Jackie Robinson and
Phillies manager
3. Ebbets Field 14
Ben Chapman, 1947 100
4. Branch Rickey 32
17. Jackie Robinson and
5. Satchel Paige 37
Roy Campanella, 1948 107
6. Josh Gibson 39
18. Roy Campanella and Jackie
7. Monte Irvin 43
Robinson at Harlem ymca,
8. Branch Rickey signs Jackie
1948 116
Robinson 52
19. Jackie Robinson, Roy
9. Jackie Robinson as a ucla
Campanella, and young
track star 60
admirer Sam Yamashita 141
10. Second Lieutenant Jackie
20. 1955 world champion
Robinson 63
Brooklyn Dodgers 162
11. Jackie Robinson, Kansas
21. Jackie Robinson steals
City Monarchs, 1945 65
home, 1955 168
12. Roy Campanella, Baltimore
22. Jackie Robinson at Ebbets Field
Elite Giants, 1942 69
aft er retirement, 1957 177
13. Negro League American
23. Roy Campanella and Jackie
All- Stars, Caracas, Venezuela,
Robinson, 1964 186
1945 77
14. Jackie Robinson Map
swinging bat 82 1. Brooklyn, ca. 1940s 24
viii
Acknowledgments
Th is book is dedicated to two educators who had a profound impact on
my life. Th e late Peter Cline, a professor of history at Earlham College,
was my undergraduate advisor and a dear friend. He read widely, thought
deeply, and communicated his knowledge with gentle good humor and in
a manner that was engaging and respectful of the young minds he taught.
Peter encouraged me to pursue graduate school in history and secured
a Mellon Fellowship for me aft er I left Earlham. But his greatest gift was
cultivating in me a sense of intellectual self- esteem.
Michael Zuckerman, emeritus professor at the University of Pennsyl-
vania, encouraged me to pursue a doctorate in history and served on my
dissertation board. Th ough he would not allow me to settle for anything
less than my best work, he did so in a manner that was respectful of me and
the intellectual process itself. Mike also took a genuine interest in my dual
career as a secondary school teacher and National Park Service Ranger by
visiting my “classroom”— sometimes with his own students— and sharing
ideas on pedagogy and curriculum. He continues to be a valued friend.
Both of these educators served as important role models because of
their special ability to communicate with young adults from many diff er-
ent backgrounds. Th ey understood that good teaching engages the stu-
dent in life itself, challenging him to question the moral conventions and
stereotypes of our society. In the process they showed me that teaching
can be a challenging and personally rewarding profession because it de-
mands intellectual rigor and high standards as well as compassion and
faith in young people. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Special thanks are also due to all of the individuals who agreed to be
interviewed for this book: Hank Aaron, Rich Ashburn, Gene Benson,
ix