Pasadena Native Jackie Robinson’s Number 42 Retired by UCLA Athletics

Jackie Robinson as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers- Courtesy Photo/ Bob Sandberg, Cowles Communications (public domain)

By Spencer Stueve

Jackie Robinson is perhaps the most honored athlete of all-time. Most people know his number 42 number is retired not only by the Dodgers, but by all of Major League Baseball. UCLA, Jackie’s alma mater, is following suit.

Kenny Young, a starting Linebacker for the UCLA Bruins football team, will be the last UCLA student athlete to ever wear number 42. While Kenny was a freshman, it was announced that the number 42 would be retired at UCLA, and that at the conclusion of the careers of each of the three current Bruins to wear number 42 in their sport, the number would never again be worn. Now, Young is the only one that remains, and though it is still unclear if UCLA will play in a bowl game or if their season will end on Friday, it is certain that the days of seeing “42” are few.

Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia, but when he was just six months old, his mother packed up and moved the family west to Pepper Street in Pasadena, California. There were temptations for Jackie, as there are for every child. The Pepper Street Gang was, for a young boy without a father in his life, an enticing route. Robinson hung around the gang and got into trouble. Two men, however, would help set Jackie straight. Local mechanic Carl Anderson and Reverend Karl Downs would have an immeasurable impact on Jackie’s life. They explained to him that his bad behavior was selfish, that he was hurting his mother. Jackie soon saw the bigger picture in life and left the Pepper Street Gang behind.

At John Muir High School, Jackie was a star athlete, earning Varsity letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track. After high school, he was on to Pasadena City College. He again played multiple sports and flourished. He broke his brother Frank’s PCC broad jump record by jumping 25 feet 6 ½ inches. When it was time to make a choice about continuing his academic and athletic careers, he chose UCLA.

At UCLA, Jackie was again sensational. He would become the first athlete in school history to letter in four sports, just as he had done in high school. He was an outstanding football player, leading the nation in punt return average in each of his two seasons. In basketball, he led the Southern Division of the Pacific Coast Conference in scoring in each season in Westwood. In track and field, he won the NCAA title in the broad jump, and in baseball, ironically, he struggled. In his lone season with the Bruins, he hit just .097.

Following his time at UCLA, there were a serious of events in his life before he made a greater name for himself. He served in the military during World War II, played semi-pro football and baseball, and finally was the man chosen by Branch Rickey to break the Major League Baseball color barrier with the Dodgers.

Jackie’s life is a marvelous story, and he is one of Pasadena’s own. When Kenny Young takes the field for the last time donning the number 42, it will be in honor of a life well lived.

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