UCLA Receives $1M for Student-Athlete Scholarships

UCLA Athletics is pleased to announce the creation of the "Jackie R. Robinson Centennial Scholars Endowed Scholarships" to support student-athlete scholarships in the four sports in which Jackie Robinson participated at UCLA – baseball, men's track & field, football and men's basketball.

The donation totaling $1,000,000 was made possible by local philanthropists, as well as the UCLA Chancellor's Centennial Scholars Match. As part of the Forever Champions Endowment Campaign, these endowed scholarship funds will be used to support student-athletes at UCLA who pursue a quality education while earning their degrees.

"Jackie Robinson was a difference-maker on so many levels, and he continues to inspire and touch the lives of generations to come," said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "His famous quote – 'A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives' – could not ring more true, and these generous gifts are proof of that. To be able to honor his legacy while supporting the education of student-athletes is truly remarkable, and we are grateful to all those involved who made this happen."

Robinson was a four-sport student-athlete at UCLA from 1939 to 1941. In football, he played both offense and defense, returned punts, caught and threw passes, kicked extra points and in the process, earned honorable mention All-American accolades. In basketball, he twice led the Pacific Coast Conference in scoring. In track, he won the NCAA championship in the broad jump. And in baseball, he began his legendary journey as a highly-regarded shortstop for the Bruins.

Six years later, he claimed his place in history by making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers and breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Despite enduring racial abuse, jeers of fans and fellow players, death threats and profound harassment, he endured it all with grace and dignity - not to mention exceptional play - earning Rookie of the Year honors and a National League Most Valuable Player award in addition to helping the Dodgers win the 1955 World Series. A career .311 hitter, Robinson played in six World Series, six consecutive All-Star games was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 during his first year of eligibility.

In 2014, UCLA renamed its series of recreation and athletics facilities in honor of Robinson and also retired his number 42 across all 25 sports.

With athletic department scholarship expenses projected to reach more than $16 million in 2018, 100 percent of which is the responsibility of the UCLA Athletic Department, it is incumbent upon UCLA Athletics to generate revenue through private donations to support the education of student-athletes. An endowed scholarship program made possible through the generosity of private donors furthers this investment.

These gifts represent significant momentum for the Forever Champions Endowment Campaign, an effort to secure $50 million-plus in private philanthropy to advance UCLA Athletics' academic priorities. Forever Champions offers donors an opportunity to make a long-term impact on UCLA Athletics' ability to establish scholarship endowments, program endowments and endowed excellence funds while enjoying exclusive benefits and recognition.

An endowed scholarship gift supplies the UCLA Athletic Department with a perpetual source of income that provides the educational resources needed to attract, develop, and retain the nation's most talented student-athletes. Endowments are long-term investments. The principal is invested, and earned income is distributed in accordance with the guidelines agreed upon by the donor, the UCLA Athletic Department and the UCLA Foundation.

Through June 30, 2017, qualifying gifts of $75,000 to $1 million to undergraduate scholarships at UCLA will be matched at 50 percent through the UCLA Chancellor's Centennial Scholars Match program. Gifts eligible for matching funds must support new or existing endowments that are specifically designated to support undergraduate scholarships at UCLA.

By creating an endowment, donors will forever link their name to a championship tradition while making a direct impact on future generations of UCLA student-athletes.

For more information or to support UCLA student-athletes, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302 or visit woodenathleticfund.com.