Sports World Honors Jackie Robinson, Born 99 Years Ago Today

Jackie Robinson, one of the most important and influential athletes in history, would have turned 99 years old on Wednesday. 

More than 28 years before breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Robinson became the fifth son born to Jerry and Mallie Robinson on January 31, 1919. 

The sports world took time to celebrate Robinson on his birthday:

The Baseball Hall of Fame, which enshrined Robinson in 1962, shared an image of him in his Dodgers uniform along with a brief statement about his strength and integrity on and off the field:

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History tweeted out a page from a comic published in 1950 that shared some elements of his journey as the first African-American player in MLB:

MLB offered one of Robinson's best-known quotes that has come to define his legacy as an athlete and person:

Here are the best reactions and remembrances for Robinson from the baseball world:

Robinson's efforts as a pioneer in sports and civil rights are what he's best known for, but he was also an outstanding talent on the baseball field. 

In 10 seasons with the Dodgers from 1947-56, Robinson had a .311/.409/.474 slash line. He won MLB Rookie of the Year in his debut season, won the 1949 NL MVP award and finished in the top 16 of NL MVP voting eight times. 

Before playing professional baseball, Robinson was a four-sport athlete in baseball, basketball, football and track and field at UCLA. He received varsity letters in each sport and won the long jump national championship in 1940. 

Robinson became the first athlete to have his jersey retired across an entire sport in 1997. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who made his MLB debut in 1995, was the last player to wear No. 42 until his retirement in 2013. 

April 15 is "Jackie Robinson Day" across MLB every year. Players, managers, coaches and umpires all wear No. 42 to celebrate the anniversary of the day he broke the sport's color barrier.