I AM deeply saddened by the death of Jackie Robinson. His courage, his sense of brotherhood, and his brilliance on the playing field brought a new human dimension not only to the game of baseball but to every area of American life where black and white people work side by side. This Nation to which he gave so much in his lifetime will miss Jackie Robinson, but his example will continue to inspire us for years to come.
Mrs. Nixon joins me in sending our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Robinson family.
Note: Mr. Robinson, 53, died of a heart attack at Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Conn.
He was an infielder with the Brooklyn Dodgers professional baseball team 1947-56, and the first black baseball player in the major leagues.
Robert H. Finch, Counsellor to the President, represented the President at the funeral services in New York City on October 27, 1972.
Richard Nixon, Statement on the Death of Jackie Robinson. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/255340