What was Jackie Robinson's net worth and salary?
Jackie Robinson was an American professional baseball player who had a net worth equal to $6 million at the time of his death (adjusting for inflation). Jackie Robinson is remembered for breaking the color line in baseball when he made his Major League Baseball debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Robinson played for the Dodgers his entire MLB career until 1956 although he started with the Kansas City Monarchs before that. During his career he was a World Series champion in 1955 and a six time All-Star. He was the National League MVP in 1949 and the NL batting champion the same year. Robinson was the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1947 and was a two time NL stolen base leader. His #42 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers and has since been retired by all MLB teams. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1962. He was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jackie Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972 at 53 years old of a heart attack.
Salary and Career Earnings
During his career Jackie earned a total of $296,000 in salary. That's the same as around $2.8 million after adjusting for inflation.
His first professional salary – $400 per month, came from the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League.
In 1945 he earned a $3,500 signing bonus and a monthly salary of $600 playing for the Montreal Royals, a Dodgers minor league team. That signing bonus is worth around $50,000 in today's dollars.
In 1947 when he made his Major League debut, Jackie's salary was boosted to $5,000 per year.
His peak salary of $39,750 came in 1952. That's the same as earning $380,000 today. At the same time, average white players were making $50,000 per year and Joe DiMaggio was earning $100,000.
When he retired in 1957, Look Magazine paid him $50,000 for the exclusive rights to his retirement photos. That's the same as around $450,000 in today's dollars. After retiring he went to work at snack company Chock Full o'Nuts where he was paid a salary of $50,000 per year.
Assets and Wealth
At the time of his death, Jackie's largest asset was his six-acre property in Stamford, Connecticut. Jackie built the estate in 1955. The local country club would not accept him as a member. After his death in 1972 the estate was divided into four lots that were sold off by his heirs one at a time. One of the last remaining lots sold in 2011 for $1.7 million.
Other Endeavors
Jackie invested in a clothing store called Jackie Robinson Clothiers that ultimately was not successful.
In 1963 he founded the Freedom National Bank. The bank was permanently shuttered in 1990 due to financial insolvency.
Later in the 1960s he founded a construction company, creatively named the Jackie Robinson Construction Company, which specialized in building low income homes and apartments.
STR//Getty Images
Early Life
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of sharecroppers. He was the youngest of five children to Mallie McGriff and Jerry Robison, and after his father left the family in 1920, the family moved to Pasadena, California. Jackie graduated from Washington Junior High School and then enrolled at John Muir High School (Muir Tech) and pursued his interest in sports. Robinson played numerous sports at the varsity level, lettering in four of them: football, basketball, track, and baseball.
In 1936, Jackie Robinson won the junior boys singles championship in the annual Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament and earned a spot on the Pomona baseball tournament all-star team that included future Hall-of-Famers Ted Williams and Bob Lemon. After Muir, Robinson attended Pasadena Junior College and continued his athletic career in basketball, baseball, football, and track. After graduating from Pasadena Junior College in the spring of 1939, Jackie enrolled at UCLA and became the school's first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track.
In 1942, Robinson was drafted into the Army, and his unit, the 761st Tank Battalion, became the first black tank unit to see combat in World War II. But his court-martial proceedings concerning his claims of racist treatment prohibited him from being deployed overseas and he never saw action. In November of 1944, he was discharged from the Army.
Baseball Career
Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball when he made his Major League Baseball debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Robinson played for the Dodgers his entire MLB career until 1956 although he started with the Kansas City Monarchs before that. During his career he was a World Series champion in 1955 and a six time All-Star. He was the National League MVP in 1949 and the NL batting champion the same year. Robinson was the MLB Rookie of the Year in 1947 and was a two time NL stolen base leader.
Robinson's No. 42 was retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers and has since been retired by all MLB teams. MLB declared April 15th as "Jackie Robinson Day" in 2004 in which every player wears the No. 42 jersey. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1962.
He concluded his major league career having hit for an average of .313 to go with 141 home runs and 761 runs batted in.
Personal Life
Jackie Robinson met his future wife, Rachel Isum, as a senior at UCLA. The couple had three children together: Jackie Robinson, Jr., Sharon Robinson, and David Robinson.
Jackie Robinson contributed significantly to the civil rights movement and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously for his achievements on and off the field.
Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972, at the age of 53 to a heart attack.
