Jackie Robinson Stadium

Last updated
Jackie Robinson Stadium
JackieRobinsonStadium.jpg
With the old scoreboard in 2011
Jackie Robinson Stadium
Location Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Coordinates 34°3′33.1″N118°27′33.5″W / 34.059194°N 118.459306°W / 34.059194; -118.459306
Capacity 1,820
Field sizeLeft Field – 330 ft (101 m)
Left-Center – 365 ft (111 m)
Center Field – 390 ft (119 m)
Right-Center – 365 ft (111 m)
Right Field – 330 ft (101 m)
SurfaceNatural grass
Opened1981;43 years ago (1981)
Tenants
UCLA Bruins baseball (NCAA) (1981–present)

Jackie Robinson Stadium is a college baseball park in Los Angeles, California. It is the home field of the UCLA Bruins of the Big Ten Conference. Opened 43 years ago in 1981, it is the smallest ballpark in the conference, with a seating capacity of 1,820. [1] It is named after former Bruin athlete Jackie Robinson, the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era.

Contents

Robinson (1919–1972) attended UCLA from 1939 to 1941, after graduating from Pasadena Junior College. He was the first UCLA athlete to earn varsity letters in four sports: baseball, basketball, football, and track. He played in the major leagues for ten seasons (1947–56), all with the Brooklyn Dodgers. A statue and a mural of Robinson can be found at the entrance concourse of the stadium.

The venue is located about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of campus, just west of the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405), on the grounds of the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. Robinson's classmate, Hoyt Pardee (UCLA '41), gave a gift to help with its construction.

The stadium's "Steele Field" was dedicated in honor of the Steele Foundation on May 3, 2008, prior to a game against Arizona State, for its support of the stadium. The hitting facility at the stadium is named Jack and Rhodine Gifford Hitting Facility. [2] Gifford played baseball at UCLA and graduated from its engineering school with a BSEE degree. He was a founder of Advanced Micro Devices and Maxim Integrated Products.

In 2010, a capacity crowd of 2,613 saw the Bruins defeat the defending national champion LSU Tigers 6–3 at the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA tournament on June 5. That season, the Bruins ranked 48th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,178 per home game. [3] The ballpark's record attendance of 2,914 was set in 1997, against rival USC on March 23. [4]

The diamond is aligned nearly true north (north by east, home plate to center field) at an approximate elevation of 360 feet (110 m) above sea level.

The stadium is not to be confused with the Jackie Robinson Memorial Field (dedicated on January 30, 1988) at Brookside Park in Pasadena, next to the Rose Bowl, where UCLA plays its home football games. [5]

Court case

On August 30, 2013, a federal judge ruled that the United States Department of Veterans Affairs misused the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center campus where the stadium is located for a variety of uses, including the stadium, but stopped short of ordering the tenants off the property. [6] However, the judge's ruling left open the possibility that, if not modified or reversed, UCLA could lose the right to use the stadium. After a hearing on September 26, 2024, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordered the school to vacate the stadium and the nearby practice field. [7] On October 29, the Judge reversed himself and allowed the school to regain access to the stadium though they were told to make a deal with the veterans by July 4, 2025. [8]

Notable events

UCLA Bruins playing at the L.A. Regional on June 1, 2013, with the installation of the new video board (16'6" x 49'0") UCLA baseball 2013.jpg
UCLA Bruins playing at the L.A. Regional on June 1, 2013, with the installation of the new video board (16'6" x 49'0")

Regionals and Super Regionals, NCAA Division I baseball tournament

Motion picture set

Jackie Robinson Stadium was the location used [11] [12] [13] for the climactic scene in the 1999 film Never Been Kissed [14] [15] in which Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) waits for her first real kiss from Sam Coulson (Michael Vartan).

Notes

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Washington (American football)</span> American football player (1918–1971)

Kenneth Stanley Washington was an American professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League (NFL) team in the modern era. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA Bruins</span> Sports team name of University of California at Los Angeles

The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I. UCLA is second to only Stanford University as the school with the most NCAA team championships at 123 NCAA team championships. UCLA offers 11 varsity sports programs for men and 14 for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA–USC rivalry</span> American collegiate athletics rivalry

The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC Trojans teams of the University of Southern California (USC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA Bruins baseball</span> Baseball team representing the University of California, Los Angeles

The UCLA Bruins baseball team is the varsity college baseball team of the University of California, Los Angeles. Having started playing in 1920, the program is a member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. It plays its home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The program has appeared in five College World Series and won the 2013 National Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Savage (baseball)</span> American baseball coach (born 1965)

John Joseph Savage is an American college baseball coach and former pitcher, who currently serves as the head baseball coach for the UCLA Bruins. He played college baseball at Santa Clara for coaches Jerry McClain and John Oldham from 1984 to 1986 before playing in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) for three seasons (1986-1988). After serving as an assistant coach with Nevada and USC in the 1990s, he became the head coach for the UC Irvine Anteaters (2002–04). Savage became UCLA's head baseball coach in July 2004 and has guided the Bruins in that role for the past 18 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2010 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2010 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bruins played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCLA finished the regular season as the #2 team in the Pacific-10 Conference behind the Arizona State Sun Devils. The UCLA Bruins were selected to play in the 2010 NCAA Division I baseball tournament as the #1 seed in the Los Angeles, CA Regional and the #6 national seed. UCLA went 5–1 in the Regionals and beat UC Irvine in the finals to advance to the Super Regionals. The Bruins beat the Cal State Fullerton Titans in three games to win the Los Angeles Super Regional and advance to the 2010 College World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2011 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins finished the season with a 35–24 overall record, and won the Pacific-10 Conference Championship with 18 wins and 9 losses. The team automatically qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, and were seeded #1 in the Los Angeles Regional. The Bruins lost the first game of the double-elimination format to the San Francisco Dons, 0–3. They then beat Fresno State 3–1 and San Francisco 4–1 to reach the regional finals. UC Irvine was undefeated coming into the game, and UCLA would have to beat them twice in order to become the regional champion. After beating San Francisco a little over one hour earlier, the Bruins took the field at Jackie Robinson stadium as the visiting team at 6 pm. The Bruins scored one run each in the 1st, 4th, and 5th innings, and gave up two runs each in the 5th and 9th. UC Irvine went on to play the Virginia Cavaliers in the Charlottesville Super Regional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2000 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2000 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins finished the season with a 38–26 overall record. With a 17–7 conference record, UCLA shared the Pacific-10 Conference Championship with Arizona and Stanford. The team qualified for the 2000 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, and were seeded #1 in the Oklahoma City Regional. The Bruins beat Delaware and Oklahoma to reach the regional finals. UCLA again played the Oklahoma Sooners in the finals, and beat them 11–3 to advance to the Baton Rouge Super Regionals. The Bruins faced the LSU Tigers, who were the #1 seed from the Baton Rouge Regional. UCLA lost the first game of the series 2–8, and lost the second game 8–14. LSU went on to win the 2000 College World Series, and never lost a game in the entire tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2012 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball season. The team was in the Pac-12 Conference, and played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. John Savage was in his eighth season as head coach. On March 13, 2012, the Bruins participated in the Dodgertown Classic for the third year, defeating USC 7–2 in the non-conference event. The Bruins tied for first in the Pac-12 Conference with Arizona, finishing with a 20–10 conference record. Seven players were picked in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft.

The men's college basketball program of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was founded in 1920 and is known competitively as the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins have won 11 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I national championships, the most of any school. UCLA players have been assigned jersey numbers ranging from 0 to 78 in the team's history. The school no longer issues nine retired numbers in honor of 10 former players. To qualify, a player must have been a three-time consensus All-American, a consensus national player of the year, or been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The retired numbers are displayed in the rafters of the Bruins' home arena, Pauley Pavilion. UCLA's legendary coach John Wooden generally opposed having numbers retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 1997 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 1997 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bruins played their home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The team was coached by Gary Adams in his 23rd year at UCLA.

David Andrew Berg is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins baseball team. He was named an All-American and Pac-12 Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year in 2013. He set a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) record for saves in a single season with 24. The Texas Rangers selected Berg in the 17th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign with the Rangers and returned to UCLA for his senior season. He was then drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He left professional baseball in 2018 without ever playing in the major leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2013 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bruins competed in the Pac-12 Conference, and played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. John Savage served as head coach for his 9th season. The Bruins swept through the NCAA tournament's Los Angeles Regional, Fullerton Super Regional, and College World Series bracket to reach the final against Mississippi State, their second appearance in four years. The Bruins swept the Bulldogs in a best of three series to win their first NCAA National Championship in baseball, while going a perfect 10–0 in the postseason; the third consecutive NCAA Division I baseball team to sweep the postseason en route to the championship, and also the last to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2014 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2014 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bruins competed in the Pac-12 Conference, and played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. John Savage was in his tenth season as head coach. The Bruins were coming off a season in which they swept through the NCAA tournament's Los Angeles Regional, Fullerton Super Regional, and College World Series bracket to reach the final against Mississippi State, their second appearance in four years. The Bruins swept the Bulldogs in a best of three series to win their first NCAA National Championship in baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2015 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2015 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bruins competed in the Pac-12 Conference, and played their home games in Jackie Robinson Stadium. John Savage was in his eleventh season as head coach. The Bruins were coming off a season in which they were 25-30-1, near the bottom of the Pac-12 Conference standings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2018 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was coached by John Savage and played their home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2019 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was coached by John Savage and played their home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2017 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2017 NCAA Division I baseball season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was coached by John Savage and played their home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> American college baseball season

The 2020 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles in the 2020 NCAA Division I baseball season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was coached by John Savage and played their home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 UCLA Bruins baseball team</span> 2022 season of the University of California, Los Angeles baseball team

The 2022 UCLA Bruins baseball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Bruins played their home games at Jackie Robinson Stadium as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by head coach John Savage, in his 18th season at UCLA.

References

  1. ↑ "UCLA Baseball to Install Additional Seats at Jackie Robinson Stadium". UCLA Bruins. UCLA Athletic Department. October 18, 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-11-19. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  2. ↑ Former UCLA Baseball Player Jack Gifford Passes Away Archived April 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , UCLABruins.com, January 16, 2009
  3. ↑ Brian Foley (January 6, 2011). "2010 NCAA Baseball Attendance Leaders". Archived from the original on 2011-05-27. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ Bauer Pitches No. 1-Seed UCLA Past No. 2-Seed LSU, 6-3, in NCAA Regionals Archived 2012-04-05 at the Wayback Machine , UCLABruins.com, June 5, 2010
  5. ↑ Rose Bowl Stadium Overview Map Archived 2009-12-29 at the Wayback Machine , Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association
  6. ↑ Federal judge rules VA misused its sprawling West L.A. campus, Los Angeles Times, August 30, 2013
  7. ↑ Smith, Doug (September 26, 2024). "UCLA baseball loses its home field — for now — in a lawsuit over its use of veteran land". LA Times. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  8. ↑ Smith, Doug (October 29, 2024). "Judge allows UCLA baseball team to return to Jackie Robinson Stadium". LA Times. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  9. ↑ ‘Violation of our values,’ UCLA chancellor says of LAPD’s use of Jackie Robinson Stadium, Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2020
  10. ↑ Statement on LAPD using Jackie Robinson Stadium, UCLA Newsroom, June 4, 2020
  11. ↑ Demster, Chas. "Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles". It Was Filmed There.
  12. ↑ "Never Been Kissed - Filming Locations". Filmedthere.com.
  13. ↑ "Los Angeles Sports Venues Starring in Movies & TV Shows". Discover Los Angeles. Mar 13, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Secrets of Never Been Kissed". E! Online. October 12, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Jackie Robinson Stadium from "Never Been Kissed"". IAMNOTASTALKER. April 20, 2011.
  16. ↑ Judge says LA land meant for veteran use, The Modesto Bee, August 29, 2013
  17. ↑ Update on Jackie Robinson Stadium from Dan Guerrero , UCLABruins.com, October 27, 2013
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.