This week commemorates the anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. On April 15, 1947, Robinson made baseball history and emerged as a civil rights hero when he took the field as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, forever altering the game.

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Robinson's impact on America echoes through time, and his baseball career is the stuff of legend, making him one of the most iconic athletes in American sport. While his life, words, and actions are well-documented, there is an aspect of #42's life you may not know.


Robinson's Stamford address was 95 Cascade Road where he owned a four-bedroom, 5,500-square-foot Colonial home on 1.4 acres of land. Below is a picture of the home that still stands today.

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There is also park in Stamford named after Jackie Robinson, situated on Richmond Hill Avenue. Robinson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Every year on April 15th, all MLB players don the No. 42 in his honor, and his number was retired league-wide in 1997.

As a baseball kid growing up, I played, followed my Yankees, and collected baseball cards, so I was fairly well-versed in Jackie's history. However, I never knew he lived in Connecticut. That's a pretty cool piece of trivia I plan on sharing like a I'm a historian. I will say it as if I knew it all along. I expect you to do the same.

I cannot imagine what it must have been like for Jackie Robinson. He must have endured brutal emotional trauma in an effort to blaze a new trail for those who came after him.

Some of the NFL’s All-Time Most Feared Tough Guys – Part 1

I’ve been watching the NFL my whole life and while the game has changed drastically in my 42+ years, but one thing remains the same, you must be a “tough guy” to make it to the league. On that level of athleticism, all the players are strong and physical but some clearly are better than others. The following are some of the players who go beyond, passing the eye test and were flat out scary on a football field. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Some of the NFL’s All-Time Most Feared Tough Guys – Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I featured John Lynch, Bill Romanowski, James Harrison, Maxx Crosby and Troy Polamalu. For part 2 I felt the need to go back a bit further for some of these players, guys I was not old enough to see play but I grew up reading about. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Some of the NFL’s All-Time Most Feared Tough Guys – Part 3

I’ve been watching the NFL my whole life and while the game has changed drastically in my 42+ years, but one thing remains the same, you must be a “tough guy” to make it to the league. On that level of athleticism, all the players are strong and physical but some clearly are better than others. In parts 1 + 2, I highlighted John Lynch, Bill Romanowski, Troy Polomalu, James Harrison, Maxx Crosby, Reggie White, Earl Campbell, Mean Joe Greene, Mike Singletary and Brett Favre. The following are some of the players who go beyond, passing the eye test and were flat out scary on a football field. These are “Some of the NFL’s All-Time Most Feared Tough Guys – Part 3” 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Some of the NFL’s All-Time Most Feared Tough Guys – Part 4

I’ve been watching the NFL my whole life and while the game has changed drastically in my 42+ years, but one thing remains the same, you must be a “tough guy” to make it to the league. On that level of athleticism, all the players are strong and physical but some clearly are better than others. The following are some of the players who go beyond, passing the eye test and were flat out scary on a football field. 

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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