Jackie Robinson Stadium Explained

Stadium Name:Jackie Robinson Stadium
Location:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Coordinates:34.0592°N -118.4593°W
Surface:Natural grass
Tenants:UCLA Bruins baseball (NCAA) (1981–present)
Seating Capacity:1,820
Dimensions:Left Field – 330feet
Left-Center – 365feet
Center Field – 390feet
Right-Center – 365feet
Right Field – 330feet

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 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.

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 1miles 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 360feet 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.

Notable events

Regionals and Super Regionals, NCAA Division I baseball tournament

Motion picture set

Jackie Robinson Stadium was the location used[9] [10] [11] for the climactic scene in the 1999 film Never Been Kissed[12] [13] in which Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) waits for her first real kiss from Sam Coulson (Michael Vartan).

Notes

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UCLA Baseball to Install Additional Seats at Jackie Robinson Stadium . UCLA Bruins . UCLA Athletic Department . 25 December 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121119011259/http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/101811aad.html . 2012-11-19 . October 18, 2011 . dead .
  2. http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/011609aaa.html Former UCLA Baseball Player Jack Gifford Passes Away
  3. Web site: 2010 NCAA Baseball Attendance Leaders . Brian Foley . January 6, 2011 . February 4, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110527100608/http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2011/01/06/2010-ncaa-baseball-attendance-leaders/ . 2011-05-27 . dead .
  4. http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/060610aae.html Bauer Pitches No. 1-Seed UCLA Past No. 2-Seed LSU, 6-3, in NCAA Regionals
  5. http://www.tournamentofroses.com/rosebowlgame/documents/Rose-Bowl-Stadium-Overview-Map-Rose-Bowl-Game.pdf Rose Bowl Stadium Overview Map
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20130831212952/http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-va-leases-20130830,0,7451321.story Federal judge rules VA misused its sprawling West L.A. campus
  7. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-04/ucla-chancellor-calls-lapd-use-of-jackie-robinson-stadium-to-process-arrests-a-violation ‘Violation of our values,’ UCLA chancellor says of LAPD’s use of Jackie Robinson Stadium
  8. https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-a-violation-of-our-values Statement on LAPD using Jackie Robinson Stadium
  9. Web site: Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles. Demster. Chas. It Was Filmed There.
  10. Web site: Never Been Kissed - Filming Locations. Filmedthere.com.
  11. Web site: Los Angeles Sports Venues Starring in Movies & TV Shows. Mar 13, 2019. Discover Los Angeles.
  12. Web site: Secrets of Never Been Kissed. October 12, 2020. E! Online.
  13. Web site: Jackie Robinson Stadium from "Never Been Kissed". April 20, 2011. IAMNOTASTALKER.
  14. https://archive.today/20130830234559/http://www.modbee.com/2013/08/29/2892626/judge-says-la-land-meant-for-veteran.html Judge says LA land meant for veteran use
  15. http://www.uclabruins.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30500&ATCLID=209292837 Update on Jackie Robinson Stadium from Dan Guerrero

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