Branch Rickey was born in Ohio in 1881. At age 19 Branch Rickey enrolled at Ohio Wesleyan University. He payed for his college tuition by playing semi - professional baseball and football. After he graduated in 1904 he was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds after spending time with the Dallas Team in the Texas League. He was quickly cut after refusing to play on Sundays. Between the years 1906 and 1907, he was catching for the St. Louis Browns and the New York Yankees. After his playing years Ranch went back to school, attending and graduating from the University of Michigan Law School and became the field manager for the St. Louis Browns. After the Browns he spent 25 years with the St. Louis Cardinals. After two years in St. Louis, Branch persuaded the team's owners to buy an interest in two minor league teams so they could have their players. This created the first baseball farm system. The Cardinals then won 9 league championships with these players. He then became president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Branch Rickey founded the Negro Leagues in 1945 to find the right black baseball player to desegregate the league. That player was Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson led the Dodgers to the National League Pennant in his first season with the team. Branch Rickey finished his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967. He died on December 9, 1965 of heart failure in Columbia, Missouri.