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UCLA Honors Jackie Robinson With Bronze '42' Statue
#BruinProud to unveil the Jackie Robinson 42 Statue on campus today. #GoBruins #ImABruin pic.twitter.com/uMZaaJMkUZ
— UCLA Athletics (@UCLAAthletics) March 5, 2016
Jackie Robinson is awesome. Before breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball (duh), he earned varsity letters in four sports at UCLA (baseball, basketball, football, and track for those keeping score at home). Today, his alma mater honored Robinson's legacy with a bronze monument formed in his old number "42." According to City News Service, the statue is 42-inches tall. Get it? The monument stands in front of the John Wooden Recreation Center, steps away from historic Pauley Pavilion.
Robinson's family was there for the ceremony:
The Robinson family in front of UCLA's new Jackie Robinson "42" monument. pic.twitter.com/yxzvmChOZg
— Jack Wang (@thejackwang) March 5, 2016
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As UCLA Newsroom notes, the plaque on the monument is inscribed with one of Robinson's most oft-cited quotes, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." It continues:
From 1939-1941, Jackie Robinson made his mark at UCLA as a four-sport star for the Bruins: in football, a peerless running back; in basketball, the leading scorer; in track, a national champion; and in baseball, a highly-regarded shortstop. He forever changed the world on April 15, 1947, shattering the color barrier in Major League Baseball while wearing the number 42.
In 2014, to mark the 75th anniversary of Robinson’s arrival in Westwood, UCLA named its athletic and recreation complex in his honor while also announcing that no Bruin, in any sport, will wear the number 42 ever again.
This monument ensures that Jackie Robinson’s legacy will be carried forward by Bruins for generations to come.
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