CELEBRATING THE GREATEST BRUIN OF ALL TIME

On this date in 1947, a young, muscular African American named Jack Roosevelt Robinson stepped onto the baseball diamond at Ebbets Field, in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, wearing the home whites of the local team, the Dodgers, and changed not only the face of sports forever, but also changed America forever.

What should be a particular source of pride for all of us in Bruin Nation is the fact that Robinson was an alumnus of our great university. In fact, he was, without a doubt, our greatest athlete ever. Here's the proof:

In the two years that he played on the Bruin football team, he led the nation in punt returns, led our Bruins to their first undefeated season, and made All-American. On the basketball team he led the Pacific Coast Conference in scoring, and was all-conference for two years running. His track exploits included setting numerous records, including for the high jump, and yes, he lettered in baseball as well, although shockingly, that was his worst sport! He got four hits in his first game, and did nothing afterward, batting .097 for the 1940 season, a mere seven years before he made history in Dodger blue.

Bob Costas perhaps put it best when he said, "Were there better ballplayers? Sure. But were there better men? No."

Major League Baseball absolutely did the right thing when they announced that Robinson's #42 would be retired by all the teams...Now it's the turn of his alma mater...

I'm proposing, right here and now, for UCLA to retire the #42 for every one of their Bruin sports programs, both men's and women's. No athlete wearing the Bruin blue and gold should ever wear that number again. I truly feel that UCLA owes that to a man who changed the course of history as well as American society...Actually, I feel that the entire NCAA, every single institution of higher learning, should retire the #42, but you have to crawl before you can walk. For UCLA to retire #42 is a reasonable request, I think.

For now, however, everyone, especially everyone in Bruin Nation, should take a little time today to remember and celebrate who was undoubtedly the greatest Bruin of all time.

CELEBRATING THE GREATEST BRUIN OF ALL TIME

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