UCLA - University of California - Los Angeles
04/15/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/15/2026 10:16
Jackie Robinson Day 2026: UCLA baseball celebrates the legacy of the Bruin legend
The No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins baseball team is celebrating Jackie Robinson Day this year in a special way, donning new uniforms inspired by the Bruin legend, who broke the color barrier in baseball when he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, leading to integration in Major League Baseball. The players will wear the uniforms through this weekend's series against Minnesota.
Sonya Pankey Robinson, granddaughter of the late icon, who lettered in four sports while he was a UCLA student (baseball, football, basketball, and track and field), was on hand this week when the uniforms were unveiled, all bearing her grandfather's retired No. 42.
"Jackie Robinson, as you know, was far more than No. 42, because his impact reached far beyond baseball statistics. He reached American society," Pankey Robinson told the team of Robinson, who died in 1972. "His career here at UCLA was one of the most remarkable college athletic careers ever, and it came well before he broke the color barrier. His legacy lives on today. And as you know, every year on Jackie Robinson Day, which is April 15, MLB players wear No. 42 in honor of him, symbolizing that he's not just a player but a turning point in history.
"His legacy today."
Jackie Robinson's granddaughter, Sonya Pankey Robinson, stepped into unveil UCLA's new Jackie Robinson-inspired uniforms.#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/2QYWgRahko
"But his story doesn't end here," she continued. "You guys are the future, and I hope you use his story as a guide for your future mission."
Pankey Robinson wished the team success as the season continues, telling them she hoped they'd wear the jerseys with pride and inspiration to build their own "legacy that opens doors and creates opportunities" for others.
During his 10-year professional career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson was named Rookie of the Year, was a six-time All-Star and was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1949. In 1962, he became the first Black player to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
After retiring, Robinson served as a champion for civil rights and economic opportunity for African Americans by joining Martin Luther King Jr. as honorary chairman of the Youth March for Integrated Schools in 1958; writing a syndicated newspaper column about race relations, family life and politics; and helping found the black-owned Freedom National Bank, among other things.
Today, on the 23rd Jackie Robinson Day, we honor his legacy with a look back in the Newsroom archives at the man dubbed "the greatest UCLA athlete of all time."
► 42 facts about Jackie Robinson to celebrate the anniversary of his breaking the color barrier
► UCLA Magazine: Celebrating Jackie Robinson
► Video: Jackie Robinson's No. 42 lives on at UCLA
► Video: Unveling of mural at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium
► UCLA announces Jackie Robinson Athletics and Recreation Complex
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