Jackson, Reggie

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Reggie Jackson

1946-

American baseball player

In a career that spanned twenty-one seasons, with four different teams, Reggie Jackson, known as "Mr. October," for his outstanding play in the post-season, was known as an intelligent, outspoken, and often controversial figure. He was also a Hall of Fame player who became a drawing card wherever he played.

Growing Up

Reggie Jackson was born May 18, 1946, in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, to Martinez and Clara Jackson. He was the fourth of six kids and grew up in a mostly white Philadelphia suburb. His parents had a rocky marriage and divorced when he was six. Jackson went to live with his father, a self-employed tailor and dry cleaner. Martinez Jackson had played second base in the semi-pro

Negro Leagues, and he passed along his love of the game to his son.

Jackson revered his father. "To this day," Jackson says in his autobiography, "My father is almost a mythical figure to me." His dad instilled in him the desire to settle for nothing less than excellence. Except for his relationship with his father, however, Reggie was mostly a loner. Early on he became self-reliant. He was very determined and questioned everything, always ready with an opinion on whatever subject was being discussed.

Whether it was his father's influence or the time he spent in solitude, Jackson decided early on to never settle for mediocrity. He was going to be the best at baseball, just like his idol Willie Mays . In 1960, Jackson enrolled in Cheltenham Township High School in Philadelphia, and the coaches there gave him the guidance and discipline he needed to succeed.

By the time he was thirteen, Jackson was considered the best ballplayer in town. Not only that, but he was the only black ballplayer on the Greater Glenside Youth Club, where he would experience racial prejudice and see for the first time that "being black," as he put it in his autobiography, "could be a problem." Yet it would not deter him; in fact, it made him work even harder.

Football or Baseball?

Reggie Jackson began his college career in 1964 at Arizona State University. He entered the school on a full football scholarship, but soon discovered he didn't like the football regimen and began hanging around with the baseball team. By the end of his sophomore year, he was ranked second in the pro baseball draft and football was merely an afterthought.

The Kansas City (later Oakland) Athletics chose Reggie in the 1967 amateur draft, taking him second overall, and he soon was making his mark in professional baseball. After a few quiet years, Jackson caught the nation's attention by hitting a home run over the roof of Tiger Stadium in the 1971 All-Star Game. He also was in the spotlight because he was on a red hot A's team that dominated the World Series from 1972 to 1974.

Reggie Jackson was fast becoming a household name. Though he sat out the '72 Series, he came back from his hamstring injury and in '73 and '74, began his reign over the fall classic. Free agency allowed Jackson to move to the New York Yankees after the 1974 season, and he was on his way to the media capital of the world. Thus, his rocky relationship with Yankee owner George Steinbrenner would become legendary.

Chronology

1946	Born May 18 in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, to Martinez and Clara Jackson
1953	Parents divorce and Jackson becomes self-reliant
1960	Enrolls in Cheltenham Township High School in Philadelphia
1964	Begins college career at Arizona State University on a football scholarship
1967	Chosen second in the amateur draft by the Kansas City Athletics, who would move to Oakland before Reggie plays his first game
1972	Marriage to his college sweetheart ends in divorce
1974	Time Magazine puts Jackson on its cover
1976	Traded to Baltimore Orioles
1977	Becomes a free agent. Signs lucrative five-year contract with the New York Yankees
1978	The Reggie! bar named after Jackson
1980	Leads American League in home runs for the third time in his career
1982	Leaves Yankees when George Steinbrenner refuses to renew his contract
1987	Retires after final season with the California Angels
1993	Inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame
1996	Takes front office position with the New York Yankees
1998	Fired by Steinbrenner for running up thousands of dollars in unapproved expenses on his team credit card
1999	Tries to buy the Oakland Athletics, but the deal doesn't go through
2002	Becomes a NASCAR team owner
2002	Honored at Yankee Stadium with a plaque during Old-Timers' Day festivities

The postseason would be Reggie's stage. In the 1977 World Series, Jackson became the first player to ever hit five home runs in one World Series. He hit three in sixth game alone, setting yet another record by hitting those three off of three consecutive pitches, and off of three different Los Angeles Dodger pitchers. The feat has never been duplicated.

Jackson would earn Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in the series and become The Big Apple's most popular man. He even had a candy bar, The Reggie! bar, named after him. A great story from the candy bar fiasco is how one day the Yankee promoters gave out a bar to the almost 45,000 fans at a 1978 early season home opener. When Jackson hit a home run in the game, the fans tossed their uneaten Reggie! bars to the field (the candy bars were reportedly not that tasty). White Sox manager Bob Lemon said, "People starving all over the world and 30 billion calories are laying on the field."

Jackson helped lead two teams to five World Championships in only seven years. Writer Mike Lupica, in an article that appeared in Esquire, called Jackson, "The most theatrical baseball player in the last quarter century."

Legacy

Jackson retired after his 1987 season with the California Angels. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993, becoming only the 216th inductee, and the only player inducted that year. His achievements run both sides of the spectrum, from success to infamous. He hit ten World Series home runs, has five World Championship rings, and eleven American League Championships with three different teams. But Jackson also holds the major league record for lifetime strike-outs, at 2597. In later years, Jackson would say that, "all those pitches strung together, that's five years. For five years I never touched the ball." But when he did touch it, it often left the park. He belted 563 home runs, placing him sixth among all-time home run leaders at the time of his retirement.

In July of 2002, the Yankees honored Jackson with a plaque at Yankee Stadium. According to the New York Daily News, Jackson told reporters that he was "more nervous" on that day than he was during his first at bat with the Kansas City A's in 1967.

After he retired from baseball, Jackson became a prominent businessman. As recently as 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported that Jackson was interested in purchasing the Oakland Athletics, but it never came to fruition. Had he done so, he would have "become baseball's leading minority investor."

In 2002, Jackson purchased a NASCAR team, becoming a partner with the Herzog Motorsports Busch Series team. The main tasks Jackson oversees, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is as a motivator and team builder.

Career Statistics

Yr	Team	AVG	GP	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	E
BAL: Baltimore Orioles; CAL: California Angels; KCA: Kansas City Athletics; NYY: New York Yankees; OAK: Oakland Athletics.
1967	KCA	.178	35	118	13	21	1	6	10	46	1	4
1968	OAK	.250	154	553	82	138	29	74	50	171	14	12
1968	OAK	.275	152	549	123	151	47	118	114	142	13	11
1970	OAK	.237	149	426	57	101	23	66	75	135	26	12
1971	OAK	.277	150	567	87	157	32	80	63	161	16	7
1972	OAK	.265	135	499	72	132	25	75	59	125	9	9
1973	OAK	.293	151	539	99	158	32	117	76	111	22	9
1974	OAK	.289	148	506	90	146	29	93	86	105	25	10
1975	OAK	.253	157	593	91	150	36	104	67	133	17	12
1976	BAL	.277	134	498	84	138	27	91	54	108	28	11
1977	NYY	.286	146	525	93	150	32	110	74	129	17	13
1978	NYY	.274	139	511	82	140	27	97	58	133	14	3
1979	NYY	.297	131	465	78	138	29	89	65	107	9	4
1980	NYY	.300	143	514	94	154	41	111	83	122	1	7
1981	NYY	.237	94	334	33	79	15	54	46	82	0	3
1982	CAL	.275	153	530	92	146	39	101	85	156	4	6
1983	CAL	.194	116	397	43	77	14	49	52	140	0	1
1984	CAL	.223	143	525	67	117	25	81	55	141	8	0
1985	CAL	.252	143	460	64	116	27	85	78	138	1	7
1986	CAL	.241	132	419	65	101	18	58	92	115	1	1
1987	OAK	.220	115	336	42	74	15	43	33	97	2	0
TOTAL		.262	2820	9864	1551	2584	563	1702	1375	2597	228	142

Reggie Jackson thrived on attention and affection. He was an intelligent, outspoken, and often controversial figure who was highly recognizable, whether it be from his candy bar, his hot temper, or his famous left-handed swing. He hit hard, ran fast, and in a career that spanned twenty seasons, became a positive role model for black children. Jackson was an inspiration, demonstrating that that an athlete could be respected and successful without the use of drugs. Though people either loved him or hated him, he brought drama and excitement to the game, especially in the World Series as "Mr. October." His ability to shine in post-season play made him legend.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Reggie Jackson, c/o Matt Merola (agent), 185 E 85th Street, Apt 18G, New York, NY 10028-2146.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY JACKSON:

Reggie Jackson's Scrapbook, E. P. Dutton, 1978.

Awards and Accomplishments

1966	College Player of the Year
1967	Southern League Player of the Year
1969, 1971-75, 1977-84	American League All-Star team
1969, 1973, 1975-76, 1980	Sporting News American League All-Star Team
1973	American League most valuable player; Sporting News Major League Player of the Year
1973, 1977	World Series most valuable player
1993	Inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame

(With Mike Lupica) Reggie: The Autobiography, Villard Books, 1984.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Allen, Maury. Mr. October: The Reggie Jackson Story. New York: Times Books, 1981.

Halter, Jon C. Reggie Jackson: All Star in Right. New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 1975.

Jackson, Reggie. Reggie Jackson's Scrapbook. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1978.

Jackson, Reggie, with Mike Lupica. Reggie: The Autobiography. New York: Villard Books, 1984.

Libby, Bill. The Reggie Jackson Story. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1975.

"Reggie Jackson." Great Athletes, volume 4. Hackensack, N.J.: Salem Press, Inc.

Periodicals

Boston Globe (January 6, 1993): 1.

Boston Globe (January 10, 1993): 54.

Boston Globe (August 2, 1993): 37.

Deford, Frank. "Behind the Fence." Sports Illustrated (July 27, 1981): 50-64.

Dolson, Frank. "With flair for showmanship, Reggie Jackson was ahead of his time." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (July 31, 1993).

Esquire (June 1993): 69-71.

Garcia, Julian. "Reggie finds his place at Monument Park." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (July 6, 2002).

"How the Franchise Went West." Time (June 27, 1977): 49.

Jet (January 25, 1993): 45.

Jet (May 1993): 47.

Jet (August 16, 1993): 51.

Jet (September 6, 1993); 51.

Kallmann, Dave. "Reggie Jackson becomes NASCAR team owner," Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (February 28, 2002).

Los Angeles Times (January 12, 1993; August 1, 1993; August 2, 1993; March 5, 1995).

Murray, Chass. "Compensation System Showing Flaws." Sporting News (February 6, 1984).

Newhan, Ross. "Baseball: Hall of Famer Jackson has met with Orange County billionaires trying to buy team from Disney." Los Angeles Times (September 24, 1999): 6.

New York (April 19, 1993): 158-160.

New Yorker (August 2, 1993): 40-41.

New York Times (July 4, 1979): 50-64.

Sports Illustrated (August 2, 1993): 58-64.

Ward, Robert. "Reggie Jackson in No-Man's Land." Sport (June, 1977): 89-96.