A Jackie Robinson statue was installed for a second time this year, with the latest honor coming Wednesday at the Rose Bowl. The statue, which depicts Robinson’s collegiate football career, was sculpted by Brian Hanlon and gifted by Alba and Thomas Tull’s Tull Family Foundation.
Thomas was a producer on “42,” a biopic of Robinson that released in 2013. Among those to attend the ceremony were attended by Vin Scully, and Robinson’s widow, Rachel, and daughter, Sharon. Several other members of the Robinson family were also on hand.
Robinson, responsible for breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers, first starred as a four-sport athlete at UCLA. Robinson ran a kickoff back 104 yards for a touchdown in the 1938 Rose Bowl, which stands as the longest in the stadium’s history.
He is the only athlete in the university’s history to letter in four sports. Robinson’s iconic No. 42 jersey will no longer be worn once Bruins senior linebacker Kenny Young moves on.
In addition to having the honor of speaking at the statue unveiling, Scully was celebrating his 90th birthday. He was also on hand and spoke when the Dodgers installed a statue in Robinson’s honor at Dodger Stadium.
The next honor to come for the pioneering athlete is the Jackie Robinson Museum that is scheduled to be completed by spring 2019.
