Before he became an American and Dodger legend -- he was a Bruin.
Today the whole country will be celebrating the Bruin legend. From the LA Times:
Tuesday is Jackie Robinson Day across baseball, honoring the 67th anniversary of the day Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The most prominent of the events planned to honor Robinson was to take place at Yankee Stadium before New York's game against the Chicago Cubs, but rain forced the game, and the ceremony, to be delayed until Wednesday.
Robinson's wife, Rachel, daughter Sharon, Commissioner Bud Selig and members of the Steinbrenner family are scheduled to be in attendance for the unveiling of a plaque to honor late South African leader Nelson Mandela. The plaque will be placed in Monument Park.
"It's a wonderful thing that they have Jackie Robinson Day. That goes without saying," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said Tuesday. "I've enjoyed getting to know his family over the years. I first met his wife that first year at the Baseball Writers' dinner in 1996. I've gotten to know her well, same thing with her daughter. We all look forward to having that game when we all get to wear that No. 42 and honor him."
The official site has the following highlights of Jackie's Bruin career:
The first African-American to play major league baseball (April 15, 1947) ... his widow Rachel, a UCLA alumna, founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which has funded college scholarships for deserving African-American students ... the first four-sport letterman in UCLA history - football (1939 and 1940), basketball (1940 and 1941), track and field (1940) and baseball (1940).
Just another reminder why all of us are privileged to call ourselves alums, students, fans of the greatest University in the nation.
Read up more on Jackie by going here, here and here.
Of course there is nothing about this on UCLA's official site (except for a tweet or two). Guess not a surprise from the worst run athletic department in America.
GO BRUINS.