The 1939 UCLA Bruins football team went undefeated (6-0-4) and challenged for a national title, but three of its players left a more indelible mark on sports history.

One of them chose to play professional baseball and was the brave face of breaking its color barrier: Jackie Robinson. As for his two backfield teammates, Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, they helped integrate the NFL in 1946. That was in the year before Robinson did the same for MLB, debuting for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

LOOKING BACK: Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier | Robinson photo gallery

Washington was the first African-American player to sign with an NFL team with the modern era. The circumstances lined up: The league needed healthy players in the wake of World War II, and the commissioners of the former Cleveland Rams' new home, the Los Angeles Coliseum, put in an anti-segregation clause for the relocated team. The Rams gave Washington a contract on March 21, 1946, and did the same for Strode just 47 days later.

Washington spent just three years in the NFL with the Rams, before moving on to become an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Strode made four catches for 37 yards in '46, his only NFL season. He went on to Hollywood, earning acclaim as an supporting actor opposite Kirk Douglas in "Spartacus."

As for Robinson, he was a multi-sport athlete at UCLA who would have probably excelled on the pro gridiron, too. He actually chose football first, playing semi-pro for the Honululu Bears. He wanted to return to the mainland and play for the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the Pacific Coast Professional Football League in December 1941. But as duty called then, his post-war life led to him landing on the diamond for his Hall of Fame career.

Every year on April 15, we honor No. 42 in baseball because of Robinson. But here's a tip of the helmet for the two men who deserve as much respect for what they did for the NFL, Washington (No. 13) and Strode (No. 34).