The historic photo first served as a learning tool for a local family, and now a nation.
Youngstown native George “Shotgun” Shuba on April 18, 1946, became a part of arguably the most significant photo to begin the integration process in Major League Baseball. Today, Shuba is forever remembered for that groundbreaking moment with Baseball hall of famer Jackie Robinson.
Robinson breaking MLB’s color barrier a year later is touted as one of the most important moments in sports history paving the way for other black athletes across baseball and all other major sports.
George’s son, Mike Shuba of Austintown, said his dad “didn’t think it would be such a big moment like it is today. He always said it was Jackie’s moment, not his. He was used to playing with and against black athletes from high school so it was a normal thing for him to go up and shake Jackie’s hand at the plate.”
Jan 27, 2021
YOUNGSTOWN A committee has postponed dedication of the Robinson-Shuba Commemorative Statue, originally set for April, because of the continued proliferation of COVID-19.
The Robinson-Shuba Statue Committee expects to decide by mid-May on a new date in late summer.
“We look forward to dedicating the statue in Wean Park when the COVID-19 situation improves,” Ernie Brown, co-chair of the statue committee, said. “So we’re postponing our April 18 event in the best interest of the health and safety of the many we expect will attend. We look forward to setting a new date by mid-May.” The April 18, 1946, handshake of Jackie Robinson, the first African American allowed to play in mainstream professional baseball, and George Shuba, his white teammate from Youngstown, was a landmark moment in the integration of baseball and, eventually, much of American life.