Robinson, Frank
Baseball
b. Aug. 31, 1935, Beaumont, TX
Robinson joined the NL's Cincinnati Reds in 1956, hit 38 home runs and led the league in runs scored with 122, and was named the league's rookie of the year.
He led the NL in slugging with a .595 percentage in 1960 and with a .611 percentage in 1961, when he batted .323 with 37 home runs and 124 RBI to win the most valuable player award. However, he hit only .200 in Cincinnati's five-game loss to the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Robinson had an even better year in 1962, batting .342 with 39 home runs and 136 RBI and leading the league with a .624 slugging percentage, 134 runs scored, and 51 doubles. His production dropped somewhat, in part because of injuries, during the next three seasons and an arrest for carrying a concealed weapon got him in trouble with Cincinnati management.
The Reds traded him to the Baltimore Orioles in 1966 and he responded with the best season of his career. Robinson won the triple crown with a .316 average, 49 home runs, and 122 RBI, also leading the AL with 122 runs scored and a .637 slugging percentage.
Robinson was named most valuable player for that performance, becoming the only man ever to win the MVP award in both leagues. He was also named male athlete of the year by the Associated Press.
He batted .311 in 1967 and had 30 home runs and 94 RBI in just 129 games because of injuries. The following year he played in only 130 games, hitting 15 home runs with 52 RBI. He came back to bat .308 and .306 the next two years, but was traded to the NL's Dodgers after hitting only .281 in 1971.
The Dodgers sent him to the California Angeles in 1973 and he spent most of the rest of his career as a designated hitter with California and the Cleveland Indians. Robinson was named playing manager of the Indians in 1975, the first black manager in major league history.
He retired as a player after the 1976 season and was fired as manager in 1977. Robinson also managed the San Francisco Giants from 1981 through 1984 and Baltimore from 1988 into the 1991 season. In 2002, he took over the Montreal Expos and managed them for three seasons. His overall record is 913 wins and 1004 losses.