Jackie Robinson Day is a traditional event which occurs annually in Major League Baseball, commemorating the day Robinson made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, and becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues.
Robinson competed at the Coliseum while he was a student athlete at UCLA, lettering in baseball, football, basketball, and track & field. Throughout his career, he was also named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and became a six-time all-star.
In 1962, Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and in 1984, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1997, the MLB retired his jersey number #42, and in 2005, Jackie Robinson was forever memorialized as part of the Coliseum’s legacy with a plaque in our Court of Honor.