Though little known today, the Los Angeles Red Devils were a unique, racially-integrated professional basketball team from the mid-1940s that featured numerous stars including Jackie Robinson, the former UCLA star who was that school’s first (and still only) four-sport varsity letterman—in football, baseball, basketball, and track.
After completing his spectacular rookie season with the Montreal Royals of baseball’s minor leagues, Robinson returned home to Pasadena in October 1946 to sign with the Red Devils. It was his first (and last) professional basketball contract.
They were originally organized as a speculative venture by a white sports promoter named Jack Duddy, who envisioned that his new team might join the National Basketball League (NBL), which at the time was considering the addition of a West Coast franchise.
Though they only played two seasons, the Red Devils were outstanding. Their lineup included forwards Jackie Robinson, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member George Crowe, and Pasadena City College standout Irv Noren, guards Everett “Ziggy” Marcelle, a Southern University grad and former Harlem Globetrotter, and U.S.C. All-American Eddie Oram, and Stanford star Art Stoefen at center.
A portion of net proceeds from the sales of our Black Fives assortment will benefit the The Black Fives Foundation, which works to inspire excellence by preserving, teaching, and honoring the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball.
