Back in 2012, I had an opportunity to interview Dodgers team historian Mark Langill about… well, Dodgers history. During that interview, I asked Mark a relatively simple question, to which he gave a very well-thought-out profound answer – What is the single greatest moment in Dodgers history?

“That would be April 15th, 1947 when Jackie Robinson played his first game,” Langill answered without the slightest hesitation. “It sounds trite to say that because it was a bigger moment… not for the franchise, not for the sport, but for the entire country. As the years go by and you see the T-shirts, and you see the commemorative jerseys, and you see the posters, and things like that, and you realize that Jackie has been gone since 1972.

“I just don’t think, as time goes on, people understand the magnitude of what he went through… the pressure that Branch Rickey felt and others within the organization to sign an African American,” Langill added. “And then for Jackie to put himself out there on the field, and it’s not just a matter of is he going to succeed on the field. You have to go back in time and when you look through the FBI file and everything like that and realize that he was always concerned about his personal safety, it makes you wonder how on earth was he able to perform as well as he did with constant death threats or taunts and things like that.”

Few will argue that Jackie Robinson wasn’t the most influential player in the 147-year history of Major League Baseball. (AP photo)

Langill added that it wasn’t just about being a good ball player, it was about being a great ball player without margin for error, this in spite of unimaginable pressure on baseball’s first African-American player.

“Every other ball player that comes out on the field, they can just do their thing and if it’s 4 for 4 or 0 for 4, they’re still a ball player,” said Langill. “But Jackie in 1947 was doing something that was so courageous on his part, I just think as time goes on it’s easy to celebrate his accomplishments on the field, but I just don’t think people appreciate the courage and see the magnitude of basically putting his life at risk to do what he did, and then to have to not say anything for a couple years by the agreement of Branch Rickey. Far and away the most important moment in Dodger history was Jackie Robinson’s first game.”

On Tuesday the Dodgers announced that they would be honoring the only player in baseball history to have his jersey retired by all 30 MLB teams with a statue that will be sculpted by noted artist Branly Cadet, who was born in New York and lived in Brooklyn. According to Cadet, the Jackie Robinson statue will stand approximately nine to ten feet tall and will be unveiled at Dodger Stadium during the 2016 season at a location yet to be determined.

“I am so honored to have the opportunity to design a sculpture memorial to Jackie Robinson for the Los Angeles Dodgers,” said Cadet. “He is an icon of American history being celebrated by a legendary team in a grand city.   I’m excited to create a design that is both befitting of this context and pays homage to his legacy as a sports hero and civic leader.”

As many Dodger fans know, there is a statue of Robinson and fellow Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese in front of MCU Stadium in Coney Island, New York – home of the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York–Penn Rookie League. Robinson’s New York influence is also well noted at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda located just inside the main entrance of New York Mets’ Citi Field.

This statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese in front of MCU Stadium in Brooklyn immortalizes one of the greatest moments in baseball and American history. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“The Dodgers have a rich history of breaking barriers and it all began with Jackie Robinson in 1947,” said Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten. “Therefore, it is altogether fitting that our first statue at Dodger Stadium be of Jackie. The class that Jackie exhibited while still performing at the highest level made everything that has happened since not only in baseball, but in many respects throughout American society, possible. It is with great humility and joy that the Dodgers launch this project in concert with Rachel Robinson and the Jackie Robinson Foundation. We know Branly Cadet’s artistry will result in a tribute to Jackie that will resonate with Dodger fans for decades to come.”

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda at New York’s Citi Field is a virtual museum for the Dodger legend. It’s quite surprising that it has taken this long for the Dodgers to finally pay tribute to one of their own.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Plans are in the works to add additional statues at Dodger Stadium honoring former Dodger greats including Sandy Koufax, Vin Scully, Duke Snider and Tommy Lasorda, although no dates have been announced for those pieces yet.