YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - 75 years ago today, a white baseball player from Youngstown made a symbolic gesture that would go on to be dubbed, a handshake for the century. It's a moment in time that will forever by remembered in the hometown of George "shotgun" Shuba.

The moment came on April 18th, 1946. In his first game for the minor league Montreal Royals, Jackie Robinson crushes a three run homerun. It's what happened next that became a defining moment for Shuba.

"The first interractial handshake ever recorded," said Greg Gulas, Tri-chair of the Robinson-Shuba Statue Committee.

As Robinson approached home plate, Shuba, a white player, was the first man to greet him.

"In 1946, it's a racially charged era and George did the right thing, he put his hand out, that's his teammate and George always said I didn't care if Jackie was in technicolor, he is my teammate," Gulas said.

The photo of the two men was on the cover of every newspaper.

In 2014, Rev. Al Sharpton, on MSNBC, called it a huge moment for baseball and even bigger one for the country.

"He'll always be remembered for how he took the fight against racial injustice into his own hands, with a handshake," Sharpton said.

Robinson was the first black man to play in an all-white league. He faced racist comments, death threats and many of his teammates didn't like the idea of an African-American in Major League Baseball.

Not George Shuba.

"George Shuba treated Jackie as if he was just another guy but it was a guy who hit a homerun and he didn't care if he was black, he just cared that he was there to help them win," said Ernie Brown, Tri-Chair of the Robinson-Shuba Statue Committee.

"Here's a guy that grew up with white, with blacks, people of color, ethnics, it was nothing for George," Gulas said.

During an interview with 21 Sports in 2006, Shuba described the monumental moment.

"I was batting third and I went up to shake his hand and I had no problem with that because as a team we are focused professionally, focused to beat the other team and Jackie was an outstanding player, was the best player on our club," Shuba said.

You see, for Shuba, it was a simple handshake. A gesture to a teammate for a job well done. For so many others though, it's a symbol of humanity and represents a message of inclusion.

"For that brief moment, white men, black men on the same level," Brown said.

The handshake will forever be immortalized by a seven foot bronze statue placed at Wean Park in downtown Youngstown.

"This is going to be the first Jackie Robinson statue in the state of Ohio. There are only I think nine throughout the entire country and we're going to have one," Brown said.

It's a source of pride for Ernie Brown, Greg Gulas and so many others who helped turn this decades long dream into a reality.

George Shuba died in 2014, he won't be able to see it. That's ok though, afterall, he lived it.

"He would say it's an A-plus situation. I think he would be happy, he would probably get tears at the unveiling," Gulas said.

Honoring one of Youngstown's greats and a handshake for the century.

The unveiling was scheduled to take place today, but the pandemic has changed that. An announcement will be made in May for a date likely later this Summer in July or August.

The statue committee is also still looking for donations to finish out the project. For more details just go to robinsonshuba.org.