Welcome to the home of the Ohio Wesleyan University Branch Rickey Digital Collection. During his fifty years in Major League Baseball, Branch Rickey became known as one of the league’s most inventive figures, recognized for developing the minor league farm system and propelling league expansion. In 1947, Rickey helped to change the game forever by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers, an act that made Robinson the first African American to play Major League Baseball since the 19th century.

When baseball entered its modern era in the early 1900s, Rickey was a young man leaving his home in Southern Ohio for the first time to attend college at Ohio Wesleyan. To learn about Rickey’s contributions to the university as an athlete, student coach, athletic director, and trustee, please browse this site and visit the digital collection to view related historical materials.