One U-M alumnus tied to the Law School and Wolverine baseball team reshaped the national civil rights conversation and the national pastime. Branch Rickey came to Ann Arbor to attend the Law School in 1910. He also took on head baseball coaching duties. Rickey graduated with highest honors and led Michigan to a 68-32-4 record from 1910-13. He went on to make history with Jackie Robinson, signing him to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and breaking the Major League Baseball color barrier. President Eisenhower named Rickey to the president’s first civil rights commission. Read a two-part series on Rickey at MGoBlue.com.
