Jackie Robinson gets a Rose Bowl statue
by Rowan Kavner
A statue honoring Jackie Robinson was unveiled Wednesday at the Rose Bowl in a ceremony hosted by Vin Scully.
The statue, which was sculpted by Brian Hanlon and gifted by Alba and Thomas Tull’s Tull Family Foundation, depicts the Dodgers Hall of Famer from his football playing days at Pasadena City College and celebrates Robinson’s contributions to Pasadena, where Robinson called home for 24 years.
Robinson’s widow, Rachel, and daughter Sharon were among the more than 100 members of the Robinson family in attendance for the dedication. Rachel said that by choosing to depict Robinson as a PCC football player, Hanlon went back to Robinson’s beginnings.
“Fitting, considering that Pasadena has been home to generations of Robinsons,” Sharon said.
The ceremony traced Robinson’s path from Cleveland Elementary School, to Washington Middle School, to John Muir High School, to Pasadena City College and finally to UCLA on his way to breaking barriers in baseball and becoming one of the most important sports figures of all time.
“We lost our husband, father, brother, uncle, son, American icon much too early,” Sharon said. “But mom carried on, forging an incredible career in nursing and business and creating a lasting legacy in the Jackie Robinson Foundation.”
Now in its 43rd year, Sharon said the JRF has given more than $75 million in scholarship and leadership support. It currently has 242 scholars, 26 of whom are at UCLA, and has graduated more than 1,500 students.
The statue unveiling comes seven months after the Dodgers unveiled their statue of Robinson on April 15, 70 years to the day Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.
Scully was part of both historic dedications. Wednesday, he celebrated his 90th birthday hosting the ceremony and relaying stories of Robinson.
“I believe, in retrospect, he was the most courageous athlete I’ve ever met,” Scully said.
Scully said he’ll never forget how kindly Robinson treated him from the first time he met him, and Scully always felt after that he could go up and talk to Robinson at any time, day or night. He added that Robinson never had a fear of failure, and he still marvels at the fact that Robinson stole home 19 times.
“He will live forever,” Scully said.
At Dodger Stadium and now at the Rose Bowl, so too will Robinson’s statues.
The statue at the Rose Bowl was gifted as part of the stadium’s INSPIRE centennial capital campaign, which supports the preservation, protection and enhancement of the Rose Bowl Stadium as a national historic landmark.
“If there’s ever a person’s life that’s emblematic of what’s right about this country, it’s Jackie Robinson’s,” said Thomas Tull, who produced the Jackie Robinson film biopic “42.”
