Jackie Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984. President Ronald Reagan presented the honor on March 26, 1984, recognizing Robinson’s achievements in baseball, civil rights, and public life.
Robinson died in 1972, so the award came more than a decade after his death. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the United States’ highest civilian honor awarded by the president, and it recognizes especially meritorious contributions to national interests, world peace, or cultural and public life.
The medal was one of several major honors Robinson received after his playing career. The Dodgers had retired his number 42 in 1972, and MLB retired it across the league in 1997. In 2005, Congress also awarded Robinson the Congressional Gold Medal, which his widow, Rachel Robinson, accepted on his behalf. That later honor is a common source of confusion: the Presidential Medal of Freedom belongs to 1984, while the Congressional Gold Medal belongs to 2005.