Frank Robinson was born Aug. 31, 1935, in Beaumont, Texas. His family moved to California when he was a child, and Robinson grew up in Oakland.

After starring at McClymonds High School, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. Three years later, in 1956, he was in the majors, hitting 38 homers and scoring 122 runs to win Rookie of the Year honors. In 1957, he batted .322 with 29 homers.

After the 1965 season, despite having hit .296 with 33 homers, 113 RBI and scored 109 runs, Robinson was traded to Baltimore. He responded by winning the Triple Crown -- .316 average, 49 homers, 122 RBI.

The move to Baltimore also brought out the civil rights champion in Robinson. When asked to join the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, he declined unless the organization would promise not to ask him to make public appearances while he remained active as a player. His attitude changed only after he was confronted by Baltimore's segregated housing and a lack of support from the team in overcoming the bigotry of the city's real-estate business.

Within a few years, he was one of the most outspoken players in the majors on a variety of racially charged issues, among them a lack of enthusiasm for rebuking white pitchers for throwing at black hitters.

When he retired in 1976, Robinson had left a lasting legacy on and off the field. He finished with 586 career homers (fourth on the all-time list), a lifetime batting average of .294 and 1,829 RBI. "Robby" is the only person to win the MVP award in each league, and he also was the first black manager in both the American and National Leagues.

A true original, he is currently Major League Baseball's vice president of on-field operations, in charge of discipline.