Displayed is a 1959 Jackie Robinson signed B'nai Jacob Sports Dinner program. The 5.5x8.5" item has four pages, and its cover reads, "B'NAI JACOB FIFTH ANNUAL SPORTS DINNER IN HONOR OF OUR BIDDY BASKETBALL TEAMS/MAY 19, 1959/Synagogue Vestry Room." Since Robinson earned his fame in Brooklyn but in 1959 lived in Connecticut, not far from a B'nai Jacob synagogue in the New Haven area, it is unclear whether the program was from a congregation in Brooklyn or from one in Connecticut. Jackie Robinson's ten-year Major League career went from 1947-56, all with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Hall of Famer was a key factor in six Brooklyn pennants, and in 1955, Robinson was on the only Brooklyn Dodgers World Series Champions. His tremendous contributions to civil rights following his breaking of the so-called Major League "color line" in 1947, can sometimes obscure his overwhelming excellence on the field. The brief Robinson biography in the program mentions that (in 1959) he was a Chock Full of Nuts Vice-President in charge of public relations and a columnist for the New York Post. Biddy Basketball, which started in 1951 and is still extant, is roughly a basketball equivalent to Little League Baseball. Having Robinson as the featured guest at a basketball function was wonderfully appropriate as the amazingly versatile athlete led the Southern Division of the Pacific Coast League in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons while playing basketball as a 5'11" forward for UCLA. Jackie Robinson signed the program with a neatly written signature, in blue ballpoint ink, under his photo on the second page of the offering. The program is in very good condition, with a few tiny folds near the spine, and a very slight darkening, to be expected after over 65 years. The signed program comes with a PSA LOA for the signature.

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