 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew MacKenzie Robinson | |||||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||||
| Born | July 18, 1914 Cairo, Georgia, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Died | March 12, 2000(2000-03-12) (aged 85) Pasadena, California, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Oregon | |||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||
Event(s) | Sprint,Long jump | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Matthew MacKenzie Robinson (July 18, 1914 – March 12, 2000) was an Americantrack and fieldathlete. He is best known for winning a silver medal in the1936 Summer Olympics, where he broke the Olympic record in the 200 meters. He was the older brother ofBaseball Hall of Fame memberJackie Robinson.[1]
Robinson was born inCairo, Georgia, in 1914. He and his siblings were left fatherless at an early age, leaving their mother, Mallie Robinson, as the sole provider for five children. She performed in a variety of manual labor tasks, and moved with her children toPasadena, California, while the children were still young. At the start of middle school Robinson was diagnosed with aheart murmur that got worse with age, and was advised to only play non-contact sports. He remained in town for school, and set national junior college records in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and long jump atPasadena Junior College.[2][3]
Robinson placed second in the 200 meters at theUnited States Olympic Trials in 1936, earning himself a place on theOlympic team.[4]: 80 He went on to win the silver medal at theSummer Olympics inBerlin, finishing 0.4 seconds behindJesse Owens. In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including Robinson, was documented in the filmOlympic Pride, American Prejudice.[5]
Robinson attended theUniversity of Oregon, graduating in 1941. WithOregon he won numerous titles inNCAA, AAU and Pacific Coast Conference track meets. He has been honored as being one of the most distinguished graduates of the University of Oregon and is a member of the University of Oregon Hall of Fame and theOregon Sports Hall of Fame.
For a time in the early 1970s, Robinson was a park director of Lemon Grove Park, a park in theEast Hollywood part of the City of Los Angeles.
Later in life, he was known for leading the fight against street crime in his home town of Pasadena. ThePasadena Robinson Memorial, dedicated to both Matthew and Jackie, was dedicated in 1997. The memorial statue of Jackie Robinson by sculptor Richard H. Ellis atUCLA Bruins baseball team's homeJackie Robinson Stadium,[6] was installed by the efforts of Robinson.[7]
Several locations are named in honor of Matthew Robinson. In addition to the Pasadena Robinson Memorial, the stadium ofPasadena City College was dedicated to him in 2000. That same year, theUnited States Postal Service approved naming the new post office in Pasadena theMatthew 'Mack' Robinson Post Office Building.[8]
Robinson died of complications fromdiabetes,kidney failure, andpneumonia, on March 12, 2000, at a hospital in Pasadena, California; he was 85.[9] He is interred at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum, Altadena, California.
