Exceptional Athletic Ability

Jackie Robinson showed exceptional athletic ability, a fierce competitive nature, and a strong will to win, and it was suggested that he could have mastered any game. As a student at UCLA, he became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: baseball in 1940, basketball in 1940, football in 1939 and 1940, and track and field in 1940. On the court, he was regarded as a one-of-a-kind athlete who easily outplayed other college students. Before his induction into the Army in 1942, he signed with the Los Angeles Red Devils, one of several local barnstorming teams. In 1940 and 1941, playing basketball at UCLA, he led the Southern Division of the Pacific Coast Conference in scoring, averaging 12.4 in 12 league games in 1940 and 11.1 in 12 league games in 1941. He was inducted into the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame on June 10, 1984, as a Charter Member, and into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Daytona Beach, Florida · United States