It can be hard for any son to live up to his father, but imagine what it must have been like for legendary MLB player Jackie Robinson’s son; Jackie Robinson Jr. Despite his famous lineage, Jr. spent much of his too-short life battling personal demons and addiction. Then he passed away tragically in a car accident a mere 16 months before his father died.
Jr. was born on Nov. 9, 1945 to Jackie and Rachel Robinson. Five months later, his father would make history as the first Black player in the major leagues when he was drafted into the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The younger Robinson’s life was tough right from the get-go. He had some learning issues and was put in special education classes. By the time he got to high school he decided formal education wasn’t for him so he dropped out to enlist in the army.
This was unfortunately around 1965 when America was in a full-fledged war in Vietnam. Jackie Jr. spent three years in the service with a good chunk of that in combat. Jr. was hit and heavily injured in a futile bid to a fellow soldier while under fire. After some time in the hospital he was sent back home.
The injuries weren’t the only thing he brought back from Vietnam. Jr. developed a drug habit and found himself isolated due to the media’s perception of the war, which a large contingent of the public opposed. Jackie Jr.’s family suspected that Vietnam was where he became addicted to drugs.
Fortunately, he entered a drug rehabilitation program at Daytop Village treatment facility in Seymour, Connecticut and, conveniently, the center was just a short distance from his parents’ house. He put in the work to get sober and spent two years at the rehab, completing his program in 1967, when he was only 20.
The center gave Jackie Jr. purpose; he would often volunteer his time to speak with the youth about the dangers of addiction, and the places it can take you. He even got his father to use his name to spread the message.
Jackie Jr. worked his way up to assistant regional director of the center and enjoyed a busy life. Before he died he was working long hours trying to prepare for a jazz benefit at his parent’s house. In the early morning hours of June 17, 1971, the then 24-year-old Jr. was speeding to that estate when he hit a fence and then ricocheted right into an abutment on the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Jr. suffered several devastating injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, and his 18-year-old brother David identified him in the hospital. His mother Rachel, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale University, was at a conference in Massachusetts when Jackie Robinson Sr. hurried to meet her and bring her home.
Jackie Robinson Sr. suffered a heart attack 16 months later on Oct. 24, 1972. He had been dealing with heart and diabetes issues for years and was nearly blind from it. He was 53.