Rickey, Branch, 1881-1965

Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, sports executive, and team owner. He was instrumental in breaking the baseball color line by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system, encouraged the major leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, introduced the batting helmet, and created the standard 20-80 scouting scale. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. Rickey played 4 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns and New York Highlanders. After struggling as a player, Rickey returned to college, graduating from the University of Michigan. Back in the major leagues in 1913, he embarked on a successful career variously as a manager, executive, and owner, starting with the St. Louis Browns, then the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals elected him to their team Hall of Fame in 2014. Rickey also had a career in football, as a player for the professional Shelby Blues and as a coach at Ohio Wesleyan University and Allegheny College. He received the nickname "Mahatma" after sportswriter Tom Meany read an article describing Mahatma Gandhi as a combination of "your father and Tammany Hall."