Which athlete was described as the first Black baseball player many white fans knew by name, who was a three-sport athlete at UCLA?

• A. Jackie Robinson
• B. Willie Mays
• C. Satchel Paige
• D. Josh Gibson

Answer: (A)

Jackie Robinson is the best answer because his breaking of Major League Baseball’s color line in 1947 made him the Black athlete that many white fans knew by name, and his long-standing fame comes from both his MLB milestone and his larger-than-baseball prominence. He was also a three-sport athlete at UCLA, starring in football, basketball, and track, which helped build a national profile that transcended a single sport. The other names are legendary baseball figures, but none are associated with UCLA as a three-sport athlete or with the specific distinction of being the first widely recognized Black baseball player to white fans in this context.