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On April 15, 2008, the 61st anniversary of Jackie Robinson's major league debut, [3] over 330 team members wore number 42, which was up from about 240 the previous year. [22] When the teams took the field, all players, managers and coaches were wearing number 42, and this was repeated at all other 14 ballparks that had scheduled games that day.
This meant that no future player on any major league team could wear number 42, although players wearing #42 at the time were allowed to continue wearing it (Mariano Rivera was the last active player to be grandfathered in, retiring after the 2013 season). [25]
In 2013, the Yankees retired his uniform number 42; he was the last major league player to wear the number full time, following its league-wide retirement in 1997 in honor of Jackie Robinson. In 2014, MLB named its AL Reliever of the Year Award in Rivera's honor.
Here is a list of every player in the long history of the Philadelphia 76ers who has worn the No. 42 uniform.
As an exception to the retired-number policy, MLB began honoring Robinson by allowing players to wear number 42 on April 15, Jackie Robinson Day, which is an annual observance that started in 2004. [287] [288] For the 60th anniversary of Robinson's major league debut, MLB invited players to wear the number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day in 2007. [287]
Robinson had his number 42 retired league-wide in 1997. However, players who were wearing the number at the time were permitted to retain it for the duration of their careers; Mariano Rivera was the last remaining player to wear the number, and he retired at the end of the 2013 season.
On April 15, 1997, Griffey wore the number 42, which led to an MLB tradition started in 1999 known as Jackie Robinson Day. [35] In 1999, he ranked 93rd on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. [36] This list was compiled during the 1998 season, counting only statistics through 1997.
There are also some strange cases such as UCLA retiring #42 for Jackie Robinson; although he wore No. 28 for the football team; the school chose to retire No. 42 because it was more identified with him after Robinson wore that number throughout his Hall of Fame baseball career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. [3] [4]