On This Day

Jackie Robinson is named Rookie of the Year by Sporting News

The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award established in 1946 by The Sporting News.

The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award established in 1946 by The Sporting News. For the first three years (1946–1948) and again in 1950, there was a single award. In 1949 and since 1951, the award has been given to a rookie from both the American League and National League. In 1961 and from 1963 through 2003, The Sporting News split the rookie award into two separate categories, Rookie Pitcher of the Year and Rookie Player of the Year (in each league). In 2004 those two awards were discontinued, in favor of a single award, one for each league.

Below is a list of winners by year, name, team, league, and position.

Historical Significance

The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award established in 1946 by The Sporting News.

Key People

Jackie Robinson

Athlete

American baseball player

Events Before

  1. UN General Assembly meets for the first time in London

    The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ.

  2. United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England

    United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England

  3. American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954

    American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954

  4. NY Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Basebal

    NY Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is the first major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Baseball League for contract worth $13,000; triggers US MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler to impose a five-year minimum ban on players who move to the rival league

  5. General Juan Perón is first elected President of Argentina

    Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer and politician who was the 29th and 40th president of Argentina, serving from 1946 to his overthrow in 1955, and from 1973 to 1974.

Events After

  1. 25 states merge under the Government of Orissa

    25 states merge under the Government of Orissa

  2. Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast

    Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 at the age of 78 in the compound of The Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti), a large mansion in central New Delhi.

  3. Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated in the garden of the New Delhi home he is visiting by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse

    Mahatma Gandhi is assassinated in the garden of the New Delhi home he is visiting by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse

  4. American comic Dick Van Dyke (22) weds American girlfriend Margerie Willett (20) on the radio show "Bride and Groom" in

    American comic Dick Van Dyke (22) weds American girlfriend Margerie Willett (20) on the radio show "Bride and Groom" in Los Angeles California; divorce in 1984 after a long separation

  5. Iris Apfel (née Barrel) marries Carl Apfel

    Iris Apfel (née Barrel) marries Carl Apfel

More from the 1940s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 17, 1947?
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award established in 1946 by The Sporting News. For the first three years (1946–1948) and again in 1950, there was a single award. In 1949 and since 1951, the award has been given to a rookie from both the American League and National League.
Why is Jackie Robinson is named Rookie of the Year by Sporting News significant?
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award established in 1946 by The Sporting News.
Who was involved in Jackie Robinson is named Rookie of the Year by Sporting News?
Key figures include Jackie Robinson (Athlete).

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