While Pasadena’s Rose Bowl has been around since 1922, Wednesday was a first in the great venue’s history. For the first time in its history, the Rose Bowl unveiled a commemorative statue. Fittingly, the statue is of Jackie Robinson, who went to high school in Pasadena and was a three-sport athlete at UCLA.
Even better, the ceremony was MC’d by longtime (and now retired) announcer for both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, Vin Scully. The commemoration fell on the Hall of Fame announcer’s 90th birthday.
While this is far from the only statue to honor Robinson, it is the only one of him playing football.
Today we honored the great Jackie Robinson, with the first commemorative statue at the #RoseBowl, and the only in the world of him in a football uniform! 🏈To top it all off, Vin Scully, celebrated his birthday today as the MC!🌹 #JackieRobinson #HappyBirthday #Vin pic.twitter.com/wAKFUCWIoM
— Rose Bowl Stadium (@RoseBowlStadium) November 30, 2017
Robinson played football, ran track, and of course, played baseball for the Bruins.
In 1947, he broke baseball’s color barrier for the then Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the first African-American player in the modern major leagues.