Statue of Jackie Robinson will be installed at the Rose Bowl this fall
Jackie Robinson will have a permanent home at the Rose Bowl.
A commemorative statue honoring the trailblazing sports icon will be installed this fall outside the main gate of the historic venue, according to Legacy Connections, the private nonprofit fundraising arm of the Rose Bowl Stadium.
The statue, a gift from the Tull Family Foundation, will depict Robinson in a football uniform. Best known for breaking baseball’s color barrier, Robinson was a graduate of John Muir High School in Pasadena and lettered in four sports — including football — at both Pasadena City College and UCLA.
The Bruins have called the Rose Bowl their home field since 1982.
“Jackie Robinson is a true American legend,” Alba and Thomas Tull said in a written statement, “and we are so honored to be able to recognize his legacy in a town and for a team that meant so much to him and the Robinson family.”
Robinson, who died in 1972, was voted most valuable player of PCC’s football team in 1938 and was the first-team all-conference quarterback in the Western Conference. In a victory over Cal Tech that year, he ran back a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown, still believed to be the longest return in the history of the Rose Bowl stadium.
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