A statue of Jackie Robinson in a football uniform was unveiled Wednesday just outside of the Rose Bowl.
Before breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Robinson was an accomplished football player. He played for Pasadena City College in 1937 and '38, then continued his career with UCLA.
Vin Scully, who was celebrating his 90th birthday, was the emcee of the event. Rachel Robinson, Jackie's widow, also was in attendance.
Scully told stories about Robinson's athleticism at UCLA, where he lettered in four sports. Robinson, Scully said, lettered in basketball, baseball, football and track and was good in all of those, except for baseball.
"In baseball, Jackie Robinson played one year at UCLA," Scully said in his address. "This great player who is in the Hall of Fame, who is looked upon as one of the great baseball players of all time ... his one year playing at UCLA, he batted .097. No wonder he went on to other sports."
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