Robison was born on January 31, 1919 to his loving parents and 4 siblings. A year after he was born, his father left his family. Jackie later went on to enroll at John Muir High School in 1935. After graduating high school, he attended college at Pasadena College. Sadly, in 1939, his brother passed away in a tragic accident and Robinson attended UCLA in his honor. Jackie was a star in baseball, basketball, football, and track.