Thursday, 4/24/97 A Bruin for all seasons In his short time as a
Bruin, Jackie Robinson lettered in four varsity sports and became a
UCLA legend.
By Brent Boyd Daily Bruin Senior Staff Over the past 80 years, a
vast array of UCLA athletes have been branded with world-renowned
monikers – Olympic gold-medalists, Heisman Trophy winners, and
Hall-of-Famers, just to name a few. But there can only be one Bruin
to lay claim to the title, "the greatest UCLA athlete ever." And
that man is Jackie Robinson. He only attended UCLA from 1939-41,
but in that brief two-year span he won a national championship in
track and field, won two consecutive conference scoring titles as a
member of the basketball team, was an honorable mention football
All-American, and by playing shortstop on the baseball team, Jackie
Robinson became the school’s only four-sport letterman. Strangely
enough, baseball was the only sport Robinson struggled in at UCLA.
A decade before he would break the major-league color barrier with
the Brooklyn Dodgers, he hit .097 for the Bruins. More than just
exhibiting tremendous individual skills, Robinson helped transform
UCLA into the athletic powerhouse that it is today. Before he
arrived in Westwood from Pasadena Junior College (PJC), UCLA was
considered the laughingstock of the Pacific Coast Conference in
nearly every sport. The football team had rarely finished in the
upper half of the conference. The basketball team had lost 31
consecutive conference games, and the baseball team frequently lost
to junior colleges. But, upon his arrival, the football squad
completed an undefeated season, the basketball team defeated
conference rivals that usually pummeled the Bruins, and the
baseball team started playing competitively. Robinson’s
contributions weren’t limited to athletic victories either – with
the increasing tensions with the impending World War II, he
provided the student body with something to rally around and get
excited about. On the day he departed UCLA, the Daily Bruin wrote,
"Yes it was his speed, his lightening-like reactions that brought
the oh’s and the ah’s from the crowd and dollars through the box
office. Whether the Bruins won or lost, the people would still come
just to watch him … few can deny that he brought spirit and hope
to a Bruin student body that had only known pessimism." * * * "He
always had outstanding ability in all four events. He was a great
athlete – there’s no two ways about it. — Ned Matthews, UCLA
quarterback 1939-40. Without a doubt, Robinson the collegian was
best known for his accomplishments on the gridiron. And the
expectations were high for Robinson as soon as the junior
transferred from PJC. In the 1939 season-opener game program, it
was written, "Heading the list of newcomers to the Bruin fold is
the Pasadena Jackrabbit – Jackie Robinson. The Negro halfback will
be one of the faster footballers in the nation, and one of the most
elusive." He did not disappoint. During the 1939 season, he
averaged 12.4 yards per rushing attempt and over 20 yards per punt
return. He caught six passes for 145 yards. He scored four
touchdowns, and in the process, helped lead the Bruins to a 6-0-4
record, one of only two undefeated marks in school history. It also
resulted in a first-place tie for the Pacific Coast Conference
title, and the seventh ranking nationally. UCLA came up only two
yards shy of its first-ever Rose Bowl berth when it tied with USC
in the final game of the regular season. In the waning moments of
the 0-0 stalemate, the Bruins had marched to the Trojan two-yard
line, but stalled four times when Robinson was never given the
ball. As a result, UCLA and USC finished in a tie for the league
championship, with the nod for the bowl berth going to the Trojans
because USC had tied fewer overall games than the boys from
Westwood. The following season was a one-man show for the Bruins.
Jackie Robinson lead the team in punt returns, passing, rushing and
total offense. He scored 36 of the Bruins’ total 79 points. In
essence, Jackie Robinson was the team. "One of our coaches used to
run behind (Robinson) yelling, ‘Don’t hit him, don’t hit him,’
because they didn’t want him to get hurt; he was too valuable to
our team," Don MacPherson said. The importance of Robinson wasn’t
lost on UCLA’s opponents either. "There were a number of games
where the (opponents) just crucified him," Matthews said. "They
just knocked the hell out of him." USC, in particular, was
ruthless. In those games, Robinson would run between the other two
backs and whether he had the ball or not, the Trojans would tackle
him. However, no matter what tactic was implemented, it usually
proved to stop the team, but not Robinson. Although the Bruins
finished 1-9 that season, Robinson ranked second on the Pacific
Coast with 875 yards of total offense and set a then-collegiate
record with 21.0 yards per punt return. The end of the football
season did not represent the end of the athletic year for Robinson
– rather it just signaled the beginning. As soon as the final gun
sounded to conclude the football season, he would immediately join
the Bruin basketball team. Basketball was what Robinson always
believed was his best sport, and one would be hard-pressed to
disagree. He led the Southern Division of the Pacific Coast
Conference in scoring two years in a row – 12.44 points per game in
the 1939-40 season and again the following season with 11.08 points
per game. After his two years at UCLA, Robinson was the school’s
all-time leading scorer. "He had beautiful timing and rhythm and
ability to relax completely whenever he wished," Wilbur Johns,
basketball coach from 1938-48, said. "He was always in perfect
condition and was a great team player despite being an outstanding
individual player." After basketball season, he headed straight for
the baseball diamond. Although, he won’t be remembered as having a
great baseball career at UCLA, it couldn’t have started any better
for Robinson. In the Bruins’ opening-day loss to Los Angeles City
College in 1940, Robinson had four base hits and four stolen bases.
It was all downhill after that however. In this, his only season on
the squad, the shortstop managed only two more hits the remainder
of the year and finished the season with only one home run and one
RBI. It was his defensive prowess and running speed that kept him
in the lineup. "He was a hell of a defensive player," catcher and
lifelong friend Ray Bartlett said. "He could field so well that he
stayed in the lineup, and they hoped that he could get on base. At
the time it was his worst sport, but he developed his talent after
he left." Following his subpar performance in the batter’s box,
Robinson more than made up for it on the track. Although he was
unable to compete in the regular track season due to time conflicts
with baseball, Robinson was able to participate in the final three
meets of the season. In doing so, he placed third in one meet, then
won the Pacific Coast Conference broad jump championship with a
leap of 25 feet, and captured the NCAA Championship with a 24-foot,
10 1/4-inch jump. This would prove to be his only national or
league title as a Bruin. But, why was he ever a Bruin in the first
place? * * * "We knew USC was prejudiced over there because they
didn’t have Negros playing sports over there. UCLA was more
friendly and gave us the area and type of opportunities that we
wanted." — Ray Bartlett, also a football teammate of Jackie
Robinson When recruiting athletes 60 years ago, USC had all the
advantages over its crosstown rival – Troy had national
championships to flaunt and a solid foundation. UCLA had neither.
But, there was one problem. USC saw a black and white issue. Jackie
Robinson was not white, and thus, he was not wanted. USC was not
alone. Although most of the opposing players had no problems facing
off against African American players, the powers-that-be refused to
look past the color lines. African American players were not
accepted in the South, and so the Bruins were not allowed to travel
to any of the Texas schools that appeared on their schedule –
Southern Methodist, Texas Christian or Texas A & M. Rather,
those schools were forced to come to the Coliseum. But, the worst
situations involved Stanford. After Robinson had agreed to play at
UCLA, a Stanford alum offered to finance Robinson’s education at
any other institution, as long as that school did not appear on
Stanford’s schedule. But, Robinson turned down the offer and sure
enough, when UCLA played Stanford in Palo Alto, there was trouble.
After the 14-14 tie in 1939, a group of Bruins decided to go out to
dinner. Included among this group of mostly white players were
Robinson and Bartlett, also an African-American. After a lengthy
period of time, everyone in the group except for the two African
American men had been served. Once the team members realized they
were patronizing a racist restaurant, they immediately vacated the
establishment, leaving only one penny behind to "pay" for the
wasted food. The football team was extremely tight, and would not
let uncontrollable issues – like the color of one’s skin – alter
their friendships and team chemistry. "We were more or less a
clique," Matthews said. "I can still remember everything you want
to know about football, and I don’t recall having that much trouble
with racism on the team." At the time, football coach Babe Horrell
and athletic director Bill Ackerman wanted the best players,
regardless of skin color. African American players Woodrow Strode
and Kenny Washington (eventually the NFL’s first African American
player) were already established as leading players on the football
squad and although Robinson was the only colored basketball player
and he and Bartlett were the only African American baseball
players, little racism was encountered at UCLA. "As far as the team
goes and the guys, we didn’t have any problems," Bartlett said.
"There may have been a couple of guys (that were racist), but we
weren’t out to embarrass each other." MacPherson concurred. "We
didn’t have that controversy at the time. There wasn’t so much
prejudice you hear of now. They were just black guys." * * *
"Jackie was loved by everybody but he seemed to have a chip on his
shoulder. I think it hurt him emotionally to see how some of his
black friends were treated. The result was that he kept pretty much
to himself. To a certain extent, he was a loner." — Bill Ackerman
in Feb. 2, 1979 issue of the Daily Bruin. Although official
statistics weren’t recorded until years later, Bartlett estimates
that only about 30 of the school’s 9,000 students were African
American. And like the UCLA athletes, the student body as a whole
welcomed Jackie Robinson and fellow African Americans with open
arms. "The students were great," Bartlett said. "We didn’t have any
trouble making friends with any Caucasians, there was not a problem
meeting them." However, with such a small percentage of African
Americans combined with the constant racial strife in American
society, it was impossible for the students to treat Robinson as
simply another athlete. After Robinson’s debut with the Bruin
baseball team, the Daily Bruin reported, "The big news of Friday’s
(baseball game) was the long-awaited appearance of Jackie Robinson
at shortstop for the Bruins. The phenomenal Negro athlete made a
terrific impression on the fans who witnessed his debut." The fact
that his color played a prominent role in the story shows that
Robinson and other African American students were not completely
accepted into the UCLA community – a thought that troubled Robinson
throughout his Bruin career. He once mentioned how he was worshiped
like a hero while playing in front of 105,000 crazy fans, but as
soon as the final gun sounded, he was simply Jackie Robinson, the
Negro. As a result, Robinson basically drifted aimlessly through
his non-athletic life at UCLA. He worked at the old Campbell’s Book
Store on the corner of Westwood and LeConte and oftentimes helped
clean up Kerckhoff Lounge with other members from the football
team. However, he was shy and seemed aloof in social situations. It
was not until his senior year that he truly found an anchor to
latch onto outside of the athletic arenas. While talking with
Bartlett one afternoon in the fall of 1940, Robinson spotted a
pretty girl sitting across the Kerckhoff study lounge, but was too
shy to approach her. "He mentioned to me that he saw her there,"
Bartlett remembers. "He was a little bit bashful and a little bit
slower with the gals. He looked at her and said she looked really
nice, so I introduced him to Rachel and that was it." It was
something that Robinson desperately needed, as Rachel Isum
immediately became Robinson’s support system throughout the
remainder of his college career. They would wed a few years later
and remained married until Robinson’s death in 1972. "She became
the most important and helpful and encouraging person I ever met in
my whole life," Robinson said. "When I became bitter or
discouraged, she was always there with the help I needed." One
thing Isum was unable to do was stop Robinson from leaving school
early. Throughout his college career, Robinson maintained a C
average while majoring in physical education. But, as soon as his
athletic eligibility expired after the 1940-41 basketball season,
Robinson decided to quit school before earning his degree. Despite
protests from Isum and an offer from the athletic department to
extend his scholarship until he was able to graduate, Robinson saw
no reason to stay in school. "My brothers, their friends and
acquaintances, all older than me, had studied hard and wound up as
porters, elevator operators, bellhops," Robinson once said. "I came
to the conclusion that long hours over books were a waste of time."
In addition, he wanted to go back to Pasadena and help support his
financially-strapped mother. As a result, he accepted a job with
the National Youth Administration work camp, working with
youngsters. Robinson was looking to get into coaching, because
after all, an African American man competing in professional sports
was an impossibility. "He danced around and kept going. He took
advantage of the opportunities that were given to him – if anything
opened up, he took advantage of it." — Don MacPherson Jackie
Robinson didn’t get many breaks in life, but he definitely made the
most out of the few that arose. It would be hard to imagine anybody
– white or black, now or 60 years ago – accomplishing what he did
in such a short time. In only two years at the school, he created a
legend that will never be topped – the baseball stadium is a
memorial to him, a football scholastic award is named in his honor
and he was one of the inaugural inductees into the UCLA athletic
hall of fame. He is truly a Bruin for all seasons. UCLA Sports Info
Jackie Robinson, shown here in a track uniform, remains UCLA’s only
athlete to letter in four sports. UCLA Sports Info In 1939, Jackie
Robinson led UCLA to its first ever undefeated season. In 1940 the
Bruins finished 1-9, but Robinson led the team in rushing, passing,
total yardage, punt returns and scoring. UCLA Sports Info Jackie
Robinson led the Pacific Coast Conference Southern Division in
scoring during both of the years he played.