Black History Month: Revisiting UCLA's Most Influential, Transformative Athletes

From breaking color barriers to leading the charge in the Civil Rights movement, plenty of Black Bruins have made their mark through the years.

UCLA, as a whole, has carved out its own chapter of Black history throughout the past century.

Alumnus Ralph Bunche became first African American recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, Martin Luther King Jr. notably spoke on campus in 1965 and the film school has played a large part in exposing and publishing landmark Hollywood diversity research. That same passion for activism has carried over onto the fields, courts and gyms across Westwood, and a lot of the Black history at UCLA is tied directly to its sports teams.

In addition to other influential Black alumni such as Florence Griffith Joyner, Russell Westbrook, Walt Hazzard and Anita Ortega – as well as more recent student-athletes like the 2020 women's basketball team, gymnast Nia Dennis and quarterback Chase Griffin – here are the most notable trailblazing athletes who have called Westwood home, in celebration of Black History Month this February.

Jackie Robinson

Arguably the most iconic figure to walk the line between sports and Civil Rights, Robinson had a defining stop in Westwood before breaking the color barrier in baseball.

Robinson came to UCLA from Pasadena Junior College in 1939 and became the school's first and only student-athlete ever to letter in four varsity sports. While Robinson would go on to start a historic and Hall of Fame-worthy career in baseball, it was actually his least successful sport in college.

Robinson started his collegiate career with a 4-for-4 day at the plate, stealing home twice. After that, however, Robinson went on to hit .097 in his only season on the team in 1940. Meanwhile, Robinson played basketball, won the 1940 NCAA championship in the long jump, and he was one of four Black players on the 1939 UCLA football team that finished undefeated at 6-0-4.

In his professional career, Robinson notably became the first Black player to appear in the MLB after a short stint in the Negro Leagues upon his return from World War II. Robinson won Rookie of the Year in 1947, MVP in 1949 and led the Brooklyn Dodgers to a 1955 World Series victory all while hitting .313 for his career.

Robinson did more than break the color barrier, though, marching on Washington with Martin Luther King Jr., standing up against the Vietnam War and getting involved in politics at several different levels throughout the 1960s.

The No. 42 is retired across the entire MLB and every UCLA team for a reason – Robinson made a bigger mark on sports than nearly any one man ever has.

Kenny Washington

Washington was one of Robinson's teammates on the gridiron with the Bruins, but instead of turning around to blaze trails in baseball, he stuck to football and broke barriers in that arena instead.

Robinson was an all-around contributor on that 1939 team, but it was Washington who stood out as the true star. Born and raised in Los Angeles before enrolling at UCLA, Washington was named a consensus All-American that year – the school's first ever – after leading the nation in total yards.

We'd also be remiss not to mention the other two Black players on that team – Woody Strode and Ray Bartlette.

Washington moved on from leading to the Bruins to playing for the Hollywood Bears of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League after the Chicago Bears were unable to convince the NFL to integrate. When 1946 came around and the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles, they made Washington the first-ever Black player to sign an NFL contract.

Injuries shortened his professional career, but Washington still holds the Rams' record for longest touchdown from scrimmage and his No. 13 is retired by UCLA.

Don Barksdale

Among the three most popular sports in America, UCLA goes three-for-three in producing trailblazing alumni.

Barksdale went to Marin Junior College before arriving in Westwood, where he helped the Bruins end their 42-game losing streak to crosstown rival USC on the hardwood. From there, Barksdale became the first-ever Black NCAA All-American in 1947.

While he was attending UCLA, Barksdale owned one of two Black-owned record stores in all of Los Angeles, helping him build ties with Etta James and Nat King Cole, among others.

Barksdale went undrafted upon his departure from Westwood, but did earn a spot on the 1948 United State Olympic Team – becoming the first Black man to do so in his sport. Along his way to a gold medal, he was not allowed to stay in the same hotels as his white teammates, and he was ultimately barred from the NBA in the late 1940s.

After spending some time as San Francisco's first Black disc jockey on the radio and playing for AAU teams in Oakland, the NBA finally integrated in 1950. Barksdale signed with the Baltimore Bullets in 1951, where he became the first Black NBA All-Star and eventually got dealt to the Boston Celtics.

Barksdale's No. 11 is retired by UCLA, and he is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Arthur Ashe

The namesake of both the Bruins' and the US Open's centerpiece tennis arenas, Ashe stands as the most successful Black men's tennis player in American history in addition to his legacy as an all-around activist.

Ashe was the first Black athlete to win the National Junior Indoor title, then he  powered UCLA to the 1965 NCAA championship while also winning the singles and doubles individual championships. Ashe would then turn pro, becoming the only Black man to win Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open.

The singles French Open title always evaded Ashe – although he did win the doubles title there in 1971 – but that is probably the only gap on his seemingly endless resume on the court. Ashe has 76 titles to his name, and he won 1,188 matches over the course of his career.

Ashe won the ATP Player of the Year Award in 1975, the same year he was ranked No. 1 in the world, and he wound up leading the United States to four wins at the Davis Cup. Ashe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.

After retiring, heart problems followed Ashe around and likely led to him getting diagnosed with AIDS, which he disclosed publicly in 1992. Ashe then fought for not only racial equality, but also to educate others on HIV and AIDS.

Ashe was arrested multiple times for protesting the apartheid in South Africa and the United States' mistreatment of Haitian refugees several years later. After he died at the age of 49 in 1993, Ashe was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

On top of being the NBA's all-time leading scorer, the man formerly known as Lew Alcindor followed in the footsteps of many other Bruins by transcending his sport in more ways than one.

Abdul-Jabbar was a dominant high school athlete in New York before he went west to play for John Wooden and UCLA men's basketball. Upon his arrival, Abdul-Jabbar led the freshmen to an exhibition win over his upperclassman teammates – teammates that were fresh off winning two NCAA championships in 1964 and 1965.

When Abdul-Jabbar finally got on the floor, the championships continued to flow once again. The 7-foot-2 introduced his iconic and unstoppable sky hook, averaging 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per game across the next three seasons to lead the Bruins to three consecutive national titles.

Abdul-Jabbar was the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NBA Draft, and after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the 1971 NBA championship, he got traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and picked up five more rings in the process. All along the way, Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time All-Star and six-time MVP while averaging 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.

For as someone as dominant as Abdul-Jabbar – arguably the greatest player in basketball history – his impact was not limited to the court. Abdul-Jabbar converted to Islam in 1968 and publicly changed his name in 1971.

Abdul-Jabbar worked closely with Malcolm X, became an advocate for global education initiatives and took multiple presidential appointments. For all of his contributions to Civil Rights and culture throughout the back half of the 20th century, Abdul-Jabbar earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2016.

As an athlete, activist, historian, author, journalist, columnist, actor and martial artist, Abdul-Jabbar succeeded in nearly everything he attempted. Abdul-Jabbar is in the Basketball Hall of Fame and has had his No. 33 retired by the Bruins, Bucks and Lakers.

Rafer Johnson

Up until his death in 2021, Johnson was an icon in track and in Civil Rights.

Johnson earned a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, but his athletic achievements started in Westwood well before then. He broke the decathlon world record in 1955 – his freshman year at UCLA – played under John Wooden on the Bruins' men's basketball team and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams as a running back in the 28th round of the 1959 NFL Draft.

Sports Illustrated named Johnson the Sportsman of the Year in 1958 and became the first Black recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award for best amateur athlete in America in 1960.

Following the 1960 Olympics, Johnson appeared as an actor in a dozen films, served a brief stint as a sports anchor at KNBC and earned a position on Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign team. Johnson was also one of the founding members of the Special Olympics, which debuted in 1968, and he was the final torch bearer at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

ESPN named Johnson one of the most 100 influential athletes of the 20th century, and he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2009. In Southern California and across the country, Johnson was a leader for kids not only in sports, but also in education, coaching and community service.

The track at Drake Stadium was named after Johnson and his wife, Betsy, in Oct. 2019, and he is part of both the UCLA Athletics and World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fames.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Sports Illustrated's choice for greatest female athlete of the 20th century made her first splash at UCLA, and she continued to stand out long after her college days were over.

Joyner-Kersee was actually a four-year starter for UCLA women's basketball, but she spent most of her time competing in track and field and preparing for the Olympics. That being said, Joyner-Kersee's 1,167 points still rank inside the program's top-20, and she was named as one of the team's best 15 players in 1998.

Actually putting up good enough results to qualify for the Olympics as a high schooler, Joyner-Kersee took things to another level at UCLA. Joyner-Kersee earned the Honda Award for best female collegiate track and field competitor in both 1983 and 1985, winning the overall Honda Award for best female collegiate athlete in 1985.

Between her junior and senior years, Joyner-Kersee participated in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Joyner-Kersee won the silver medal in the heptathlon, then returned to the Olympic stage to take gold at the 1988 Seoul games in both the heptathlon and long jump.

Joyner-Kersee repeated as heptathlon champion in 1992 in Barcelona, also earning bronze in the long jump. Injuries cost her a chance at a three-peat in the heptathlon in 1996, but she still left Atlanta with another bronze in the long jump.

Since retiring from competition, Joyner-Kersee has returned to her native St. Louis to push for youth participation in sports and education. 

Joyner-Kersee joined Muhammad Ali, Mia Hamm and several other iconic athletes in founding Athletes for Hope, an organization that helps world-class athletes volunteer and support communities across the country. In addition to creating Internet Essentials in 2011 to help low-income families get internet access, Joyner-Kersee has been an all-around activist of racial equality and women's rights over the past few decades.

UCLA Athletics and USA Track & Field have both welcomed Joyner-Kersee into their respective Hall of Fames.

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