Former Beaver Pellom McDaniels on Jackie Robinson
Guest speaker McDaniels talks about Robinson's childhood
By Robert Falkoff / Special to MLB.com
KANSAS CITY -- While more than 330 players and on-field staff members across Major League Baseball wore the No. 42 jersey in celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, professor Pellom McDaniels was in business attire and making it known that No. 42 is close to his heart.
McDaniels, the former NFL defensive lineman who's now a history professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, was a guest speaker Tuesday night (April 15) as the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum provided its own salute to the legacy of Robinson, 61 years to the day after he broke Major League Baseball's color barrier. McDaniels' academic pursuits after football have included extensive research about Robinson, and his remarks on Tuesday focused on Robinson's childhood, which provided the foundation for shaping Robinson into the man who would ultimately have such a profound effect on American history.
"When you bring your kids to the game, tell them, 'We have Jackie Robinson Day because we weren't always perfect,'" McDaniels said. "This man gave up himself so we can understand what it means to be part of something great."
McDaniels was a standout defensive lineman at OSU from 1987-89 and enjoyed a lengthy (1993-2000) NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons.
