Branch Rickey

"Some day I'm going to have to stand before God, and if He asks me why I didn't let that [Jackie] Robinson fellow play ball, I don't think saying 'because of the color of his skin' would be a good enough answer."

Branch Rickey stood by his principles. And he was a religious man. As a young baseball player, he chose not to participate in Sunday games. Then as a manager later in life, he would keep with this same practice, refusing to even come to the ballpark on Sundays.

Branch dedicated much of his working life to baseball, where he was known as a change-maker and innovator. He helped create what is now known as the "farm system" and the batting helmet. Most importantly, though, he ended the color barrier, an unwritten rule that kept Black athletes from playing in the MLB, when he signed Jackie Robinson.

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Sources: https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/rickey-branch / Bentley Image Bank 1912 University of Michigan Baseball Team, Wikimedia Commons