{"product_id":"the-black-bruins-the-remarkable-lives-of-uclas-jackie-robinson-woody-strode-tom-bradley-kenny-washington-and-ray-bartlett-paperback","title":"The Black Bruins: The Remarkable Lives of UCLA's Jackie Robinson, Woody Strode, Tom Bradley, Kenny Washington, and Ray Bartlett - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJames W. Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Black Bruins\u003c\/em\u003e chronicles the inspirational lives of five African American athletes who faced racial discrimination as teammates at UCLA in the late 1930s. Best known among them was Jackie Robinson, a four-star athlete for the Bruins who went on to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball and become a leader in the civil rights movement after his retirement. Joining him were Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Ray Bartlett, and Tom Bradley--the four played starring roles in an era when fewer than a dozen major colleges had black players on their rosters. This rejection of the \"gentleman's agreement,\" which kept teams from fielding black players against all-white teams, inspired black Angelinos and the African American press to adopt the teammates as their own.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Kenny Washington became the first African American player to sign with an NFL team in the post-World War II era and later became a Los Angeles police officer and actor. Woody Strode, a Bruins football and track star, broke into the NFL with Washington in 1946 as a Los Angeles Ram and went on to act in at least fifty-seven full-length feature films. Ray Bartlett, a football, basketball, baseball, and track athlete, became the second African American to join the Pasadena Police Department, later donating his time to civic affairs and charity. Tom Bradley, a runner for the Bruins' track team, spent twenty years fighting racial discrimination in the Los Angeles Police Department before being elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames W. Johnson\u003c\/strong\u003e is professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He is the author of several books, including \u003cem\u003eThe Dandy Dons: Bill Russell, K. C. Jones, Phil Woolpert, and One of College Basketball's Greatest and Most Innovative Teams\u003c\/em\u003e (Bison Books, 2009) and \u003cem\u003eThe Wow Boys: A Coach, a Team, and a Turning Point in College Football\u003c\/em\u003e (Bison Books, 2006).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames W. Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e is professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He is the author of several books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Dandy Dons: Bill Russell, K. C. Jones, Phil Woolpert, and One of College Basketball's Greatest and Most Innovative Teams\u003c\/i\u003e (Bison Books, 2009) and \u003ci\u003eThe Wow Boys: A Coach, a Team, and a Turning Point in College Football\u003c\/i\u003e (Bison Books, 2006). \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 324\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.73 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51760651829536,"sku":"9781496217042","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/a417a3db65a6ad7c5bf55956007f7b63.webp?v=1780185898","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-black-bruins-the-remarkable-lives-of-uclas-jackie-robinson-woody-strode-tom-bradley-kenny-washington-and-ray-bartlett-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}