Robinson, Jackie (1919-72), American athlete and business executive. He was born Jack Roosevelt Robinson in Cairo, Georgia. He attended Pasadena Junior College (now Pasadena City College) in California and the University of California, Los Angeles. As an undergraduate, Robinson excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He left college in 1941 in his junior year and shortly thereafter joined the U.S. Army. Discharged early in 1945 with the rank of first lieutenant, Robinson signed a contract to play professional baseball with the Monarchs, a Kansas City, Missouri, team of the Negro American Lea