Branch Rickey

Branch Rickey was an American baseball player and sports executive. He was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system, introduced the batting helmet and served as president of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. Rickey also served as a Major in the United States Army during World War I, commanding fellow ball players Lieutenant George Sisler, Captain Christy Mathewson and Captain Ty Cobb in the Chemical Warfare Service unit.