After two years, Jackie Robinson left UCLA without getting his degree.
He was convinced that no amount of education would help an African American get a job. He also was eager to help his mother financially. For a short time, he enjoyed a job as assistant athletic director at a work camp run by the government’s National Youth Administration (NYA). Soon, however, all the NYA projects were closed. Then, Jackie got a job playing football with the Honolulu Bears. He was headed back to California after his first season with the team when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States was drawn into World War II.
