Ron Jackson

Thirty men registered plate appearances for the 2004 Boston Red Sox, but one of the biggest contributors to the offensive juggernaut did not face a single pitch. Had it not been for the December 27, 2002, announcement of Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson as the team’s new hitting coach, Boston’s stunning rise to the zenith of the baseball world may have never happened.1

Ron (Ronnie) Jackson was born on May 9, 1953, in Birmingham, Alabama. He bore a strong resemblance to his brick-mason father, Thomas. The elder Jackson and his wife, Mary, had 14 children (nine girls and five boys), including Lawrence (Kenny) who played in the Chicago White Sox farm system in 1968 and 1969.2 Both parents played an integral role in Ronnie’s character: “My dad always taught me to show respect for everyone. Our family has always been close. … We never did without. Mom always saw to that. She kept us well-fed and clean. My father made sure we got to play sports and he often bought us the equipment to play with.”3

Ron, as he became known, joined the Powderly Hill (Cooper Green) Little League team at 7 years old. He soon progressed to other levels and starred on the Wenonah High School team, always as a third baseman, and idolized fellow Alabamians Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Cleon Jones.

The California Angels drafted Jackson in the second round of the 1971 June amateur draft (37th overall). Although he also excelled in football, Jackson opted to pursue a baseball career: “I always wanted to be a major league baseball player, so when I got to high school … and the California Angels told me, ‘We’re going to draft you high,’ I had a tough decision to make – baseball or football.”4 Years later he confirmed having received “200 scholarship offers, and I could have gone to any major school I wanted to … Alabama, Stanford, USC. All my brothers … played football. … (I) wanted to do something different than them.”5 Despite the decision, Jackson did not have second thoughts: “First of all, I guess I really liked baseball better. But also I considered one other point. Had I decided to go to Alabama, for instance, I didn’t figure to get much playing time until I was a junior.”6

Angels scout Bob Reasonover, a 1950s minor-league infielder for the Dodgers, signed Jackson to his first professional contract, and the Angels assigned Jackson to Idaho Falls of the rookie-level Pioneer League. He struggled against his peers (.208/.312/.250) in 70 games. In 1972 he moved to the Class-A Midwest League with the Quad Cities affiliate of the Angels. His numbers improved (126 games, 541 PAs, .274/.336/.436), and he enjoyed an early professional highlight on May 12 as he connected for two singles, a double, and a triple during a 12-2 victory over Cedar Rapids.7 He finished the year with the Arizona Instructional League, where he won the batting title, though it was later rescinded due to insufficient plate appearances.8

Jackson matured as a player in two campaigns with the El Paso Sun Kings of the Double-A Texas League. He settled nicely with the club in 1973 and connected for a grand slam on July 2, though Amarillo walloped El Paso, 17-6.9 He won the Gene Lolling Award for his off-the-field contributions,10 but his on-the-field performance was not always impeccable. According to his manager, Norm Sherry, “[O]ne day in Memphis … his whole family came to see him play for the first time as a professional. And I have never seen a ballplayer have a worse day. He made five errors and did everything else wrong.”11

A sterling .328 average in 1974 was second in the league – but also second in the now-renamed Diablos club to teammate Jerry Remy.12 Offseason press articles about the Angels, winners of the Topps Award for best minor-league organization, touted the prospect.13 Nevertheless, the club assigned Jackson to the Salt Lake City Gulls of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for more seasoning in 1975. In 144 games, he hit .281 with 85 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, and roughly as many walks as strikeouts, earning a nod to the league’s all-star game.14 While still a third sacker, Jackson played 16 games in the outfield and 13 at first base, as the Angels “called in the last month of the season and they wanted me to play more than one position. … You have to rotate. When you get to the big leagues, we’re going to want you to play more than one position. … it really helped me as once I got to the big leagues, Carney Lansford got to the big leagues. … (John) McNamara said, ‘We need your bat in the lineup.”15 His stock rose even higher thanks to a lengthy article in The Sporting News; farm director Tom Sommers pegged the “line-drive hitter … (as) the type who, when he matures, will learn to lift the ball more and get his drives over the fences.”16

The Angels called up Jackson once the rosters expended in September. Hitting sixth on September 12, 1975, in Kansas City, Jackson contributed a pair of the Angels’ four hits in a 7-2 loss. His first major-league safety was memorable: “My first time up I got a base hit up the middle, stole second, and scored all in one at-bat. In the two-game series against the Royals, I think I went 4-for-5, so I broke in the right way.”17 His performance – four hits in seven plate appearances, a pair of runs scored and two driven in – prompted the Angels to give the rookie ample playing time down the stretch. He finished the season with a .231/.268/.282 slash line and 10 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances, proof that despite his potential, he needed to adjust to big-league pitching.

Although Jackson made the Angels’ 1976 Opening Day roster, he had only two pinch-hit plate appearances in California’s first six contests. The Angels optioned him to Salt Lake City so he could get more playing time. Jackson’s scorching .364/.476/.606 explosion in his first 10 games left no doubt he had little to prove in Triple A. His first career round-tripper in the majors, on June 4 against Boston, was a tonic for the power-challenged Angels, who had labored through 18 games without a home run. The sixth-inning blast tied the score before California won in extra innings.18 A banner Independence Day doubleheader (4-for-7, two home runs, eight runs driven in) would pique the interest of the opposition Minnesota Twins, a harbinger of future events. Jackson’s season totals (127 games, 454 PAs, 40 RBIs, 141 total bases) cemented the franchise’s faith in his ability to perform at the big-league level.

Jackson’s flexibility and humility earned him fans on the coaching staff, including skipper Sherry: “He may have bad days, but he never lets them drown him. He was voted the Most Popular Player in the Texas League in 1973. The whole league voted for him. I guess the reason is he talks to the other guys, he doesn’t pop off, he’s not a hot dog, and he plays hard.”19

In January 1977, Sherry felt “the only spots open this spring are at third base and center field. … We’ll let Dave Chalk and Ron Jackson fight it out at third base.”20 Both youngsters had solid credentials from the prior year: Chalk played 45 games and Jackson started 103 contests at the hot corner. Newly acquired free agent Bobby Grich, a four-time Gold Glove winner with the Orioles, would take over at shortstop. Injuries limited Grich to 52 games, drastically altering the plans. Jackson improved his OPS from .633 to .691 in 106 games and drove in the winning run in consecutive games on June 25 and 26.21 However, the Angels spun their wheels and finished in fifth place in the AL West Division (74-88). As the season neared its conclusion, they were no-hit by Bert Blyleven on September 22. Jackson reached in the third inning on an error by Bert Campaneris. He was the sole Anaheim baserunner until Carlos May drew a walk in the ninth.22

California finally took the anticipated step forward in 1978 behind Don Baylor’s potent bat and the one-two unch of Frank Tanana and Nolan Ryan atop the rotation. Jackson shared playing time with Ron Fairly at first base, but the former’s defensive flexibility opened spots in the lineup. He started the season on a tear, batting .524 in the first two weeks, tops in the junior circuit: “This is just the beginning. … I’d like to look there in September and see that my name is leading.”23 A profile in The Sporting News featured his now famous nickname, “Papa Jack,” though it did not cite its origin: Ryan coined the sobriquet upon hearing Jackson was now the proud father of a baby boy. Manager Dave García lauded Jackson’s offensive prowess, noting, “I’m not saying he is the best first baseman in the league, but he is playing the position as well as anyone.”24 Among those impressed was Minnesota manager Gene Mauch, whose path would cross with Jackson’s in the offseason. After watching Jackson hit consistent line drives in batting practice, Mauch told reporters, “He should be playing some place.”25

Jackson wore down during June and July (48-for-192, .250) and missed August with a wrist injury. Nevertheless, he finished strongly in September and October (.290/.305/.430). The Angels climbed to second place and Jackson reached new heights in RBIs, slugging percentage, and on-base average. His .297 batting average paced the club while his 116 OPS+ trailed only Baylor, though neither Angel made the All-Star Team. The Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation Awards Board named Jackson the Southern California Athlete of the Month for May.26 Things appeared to look up for both the franchise and its young hitter, but the offseason dealt a curveball.

Angels GM Buzzie Bavasi sought outfield help and dealt Jackson and Danny Goodwin to Minnesota for Dan Ford. Jackson anticipated a position switch since the Twins featured seven-time batting champion Rod Carew at first base. Jackson said he would gladly “play anywhere because I want to hit in that park,” a reference to his .364 career average at the Twins’ Metropolitan Stadium.27 However, Minnesota traded Carew to the Angels in early 1979, freeing up first base for Jackson. Mauch warmly welcomed Jackson to the club, telling his new acquisition he had been “trying to get you for three years.”28

Jackson provided a spark during the Twins’ 16-6 drubbing of the Blue Jays on May 8, 1979. Hit by a Mike Willis pitch, Jackson confronted the hurler on the way to first base. Jackson argued with Toronto coach Don Leppert while the dugouts emptied and the umpire tossed Jackson from the game. Jackson hit safely in 20 of his next 23 contests, lifting his batting average by 38 points. His defense also impressed and he made only five errors in the first half of the season. The Angels had criticized his fielding, frustrating Jackson, who remarked, “I don’t know why, but baseball players receive labels quickly. They’re hard to lose, too. I’ve always liked to play defense. I knew I was a good first baseman when I came here.”29

The AL West race was close throughout the year, but the Angels (88-74) finished six games ahead of the Twins (82-80, fourth place) to win their first division title. Jackson enjoyed his finest year in the major leagues: 159 games, 40 doubles, 68 RBIs, 85 runs, 51 walks, 14 home runs, and a .429 slugging average. But only three of his round trippers came in the second half of the season.

On October 10, 1979, Jackson underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his left wrist.30 The ailment, caused by a collision with Gorman Thomas, had dislodged “bone chips in the palm of that hand … and they affected my swing.”31 Despite the success of his first season in Minnesota, Jackson was unhappy with the front office and went to arbitration. He sought $150,000 but the panel opted for the Twins’ $115,000 offer.32 Jackson regressed at the plate (.265/.316/.391) in 131 games as the Twins fell to 77-84, 19½ games behind the eventual AL champion Kansas City Royals.

The 1981 season began on the right foot for Jackson, who won his second arbitration showdown with the Twins. His $200,000 request was a significant increase from the club’s $130,525 offer.33 Though the decision was binding, the franchise was likely upset about the result, which saw rookie Mark Funderbunk as a potential cheaper replacement. Although new manager Johnny Goryl supported Jackson, others in the organization were less sanguine. Mickey Hatcher started at first base on Opening Day in front of 42,658 fans, by far the largest crowd the Twins would draw to their ballpark that year. Hoping to shake off his slow start, Jackson turned to hypnosis. He lifted his batting average to .275, but as the players strike threatened the season, his free agency at the end of the year hung in the balance. Jackson and the Twins, parties in a strained relationship, could not officialize their divorce. To demonstrate his commitment to the game, Jackson organized a baseball clinic, but the fans were less than enamored with the underachieving club.

Two weeks after the strike ended and the season restarted, the Twins traded Jackson to the Tigers for Tim Corcoran. He played in 31 games for Detroit (115 OPS+) and 54 for the Twins (93 OPS+). Officially a free agent at the season’s end, Jackson was unclaimed in the free agent reentry draft. His agent, Abdul Jalil, continued to negotiate with Detroit (the team was reputed to have offered a five-year, $2.5 million contract, but it was a three-year, $750,000 deal.34) Jalil said, “As far as I’m concerned, the whole thing is dead in Detroit.”35 The imbroglio turned ugly; Tigers manager Sparky Anderson was rumored to have convinced management, unwilling to bid against itself, to withdraw its offer, though Anderson denied the allegations, saying, “I like Ron Jackson. … Only time will tell whether he was right or wrong.”36 Jackson ultimately fired Jalil, whose smokescreen comments about other teams offering more money proved a failed tactic.37

Unsigned through the winter, Jackson returned to the Angels after agreeing to terms on April 11, 1982, and reported to their minor-league complex in Mesa, Arizona, to get into playing shape.38 He backed up Carew and Doug DeCinces at the infield corner spots and was a common pinch-hitter for manager Mauch. He took advantage of Carew’s summer injury, hitting .420 (21-for-50) in 15 games after the All-Star Game.39

Jackson reached career highs in batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.381) in 159 plate appearances. More significantly, he played meaningful October baseball for the first time as the Angels won the AL West championship. Seemingly destined to reach the World Series after winning the first two games, California lost the last three to the Milwaukee Brewers. Jackson had a sole at-bat, as a pinch-hitter for Tim Foli in the ninth inning of the final game. He led off the ninth with the Angels down by one run and laced the first pitch from Bob McClure to center field for a single. Speedy Rob Wilfong replaced Jackson as a pinch-runner but the Angels failed to hit the ball out of the infield and lost the game, 4-3.

Jackson traveled to Venezuela to play in the 1982-1983 winter league. In 39 games for La Guaira Tiburones (Sharks), he hit .265 and slugged .429 (statistics are incomplete, but he is credited with 147 at-bats, 39 hits, and 29 runs batted in.40) His team won the national championship and the country hosted the 1983 Caribbean Series. Although the Arecibo Lobos (Wolves) from Puerto Rico won the four-country tournament, five players from Venezuela made the All-Star team, including Jackson. He won the second game of the round-robin with a dramatic walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Mexico.41 A photo captured the contrast between the ebullient Jackson and the losing pitcher, Luis Enrique Aponte, the former high-fiving a teammate while the latter walked dejectedly off the field, under the caption “Ron Jackson viró la tortilla” (“flipped the omelet,” the equivalent of “flips the script.”)

Jackson returned to the Angels in 1983 and played both the corner infield and corner outfield positions along with an occasional designated-hitter stint. Although he played in 102 games and garnered 379 plate appearances, his average dropped to .230. His offensive contributions further regressed in 1984 (.193 in 45 games) before the underperforming Angels released him on August 2 to make room for Dick Schofield, activated from the disabled list. Baltimore signed him 12 days later and he played in 12 games (8-for-28) for the fifth-place Orioles. The club released him on December 17.

The St. Louis Cardinals gave Jackson a look in 1984 and despite solid hitting during spring training, he was optioned to Louisville. The veteran played in 62 games and hit .238/.295/.359 but the coveted call-up to the majors never came. He attempted a comeback in 1988 with the Vancouver Canadians (Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox) but hit only .177 in 18 games.

In 10 seasons of major-league baseball, Jackson played in 926 games and collected 774 hits, good for a .259 batting average and a 94 OPS+. He was a better hitter against southpaws (.284) and slightly better in the second half (.264).

He coached the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 1989. The club finished the regular season with the league’s best record (88-55), beat the Huntsville Stars in the playoffs (3-1), and swept the Greenville Braves in the finals (3-0). The squad became known as the “Runaway Train” for its dominating performance.

Like many former major leaguers, Jackson still felt he could play competitively. Unlike most, he was given the opportunity in 1989, thanks to the Senior Professional Baseball League, brainchild of former minor leaguer Jim Morley.42 The league was open to those 35 and older (32 for catchers) and fielded eight clubs for a 72-game campaign. The recently concluded major-league season had more than 70 players who would have qualified, though understandably none chose to trade the big leagues for the novelty circuit.

Curiosity did not extend to the turnstiles as poor attendance plagued the Florida-based franchises. As the Fort Myers Sun Sox’ starting third baseman, Jackson hit a robust .344, eighth-best during the league’s maiden season. He remained with the team until it folded on December 26, 1990, an action that triggered the circuit’s demise. He recalled the competitive juices: “I remember guys pulling muscles. Some of the older guys tried running the bases like they used to. Just seeing some old friends. … Some of them are a little heavier, a little thicker, but it was a lot of fun.”43

During his professional career, Jackson had demonstrated an uncanny ability to absorb the game. On the way to the big leagues, he explained his approach as “no(t) … try to pull everything. I usually go with the pitch. If the defense sees you trying to pull all the pitches, they’ll gang up on you.”44 He had not wasted his time on the bench, choosing to absorb the action from that vantage: “Most of your good coaches, they didn’t play every day. My biggest thing was, I watched the hitter. I always wanted to be a major league hitting coach. I watched the bad hitters. … I started preparing myself before my career was over.”45

Many young players would benefit from this advice in the coming decades. Jackson was the Milwaukee Brewers’ minor-league hitting coordinator in 1991 and 1992, monitoring the progress of future big leaguers John Jaha, Dave Nilsson, Jeff Cirillo, and José Valentín. Prior to the 1993 season, he became the batting coach for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, the Brewers’ top minor-league affiliate. During his three years tutoring the prospects, the team was competitive, setting the stage for future big-league call-ups.

In the dark, World Series-less 1994 offseason, Milwaukee passed over Jackson for hitting coach in favor of his former high-school teammate Lamar Johnson, skipper of Class-A Stockton. Jackson returned to New Orleans but the White Sox hired him in June of 1995 for their first-base coaching vacancy.46 In five years with Chicago, Jackson alternated between first-base and hitting coach roles and oversaw a potent offense with Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, and Albert Belle. Shortly after replacing Bill Buckner as the White Sox’ hitting coach, he shared his methods with the Chicago Tribune: “If you’re going to help hitters, you have to know what you’re looking for. I feel like it’s a gift from God for me. I’ve been watching hitters my whole life. I’ve talked about hitting with guys like Tony Muser, Don Baylor, Dave Parker, and Lamar Johnson.”47

The team was unable to repeat its 1993 postseason trip and manager Jerry Manuel fired Jackson early in 1998 as the White Sox struggled at the plate. The Brewers rehired him for the 1999 season as the first-base coach, though he would also counsel the hitters once batting coach Jim Lefebvre replaced fired skipper Phil Garner in August.

Jackson joined the Triple-A Albuquerque Dukes as the hitting coach for the 2000 season and remained with the Dodgers organization as the franchise switched its affiliation to the Las Vegas 51’s. The 2002 team, piloted by Brad Mills, lost in the postseason semifinals. Though neither suspected it, both Mills and Jackson would be on their way to Boston.

After missing the postseason in 2002 despite a 93-69 record, the Red Sox franchise suffered through a roller-coaster offseason. After enticing coveted GM Billy Beane from the Oakland Athletics, the Red Sox were shocked when cold feet kept Beane with Oakland. A pivot to fresh-faced 28-year-old Theo Epstein filled the vacancy but blockbuster free agents nevertheless jilted Boston.

The Red Sox – runners-up to the Yankees in the AL East five straight years – raised eyebrows by firing longtime player Dwight Evans as their hitting coach shortly after the 2002 season ended. Offense was not the Boston weakness; the team placed second in batting average and third in the suddenly-in-vogue on-base percentage. However, the shift was not occurring fast enough to overcome the lack of solid hurlers behind Pedro Martínez. After his dismissal, Evans opined, “The only way that’s going to change is if (the team) gives incentives for guys to finish with a higher on-base percentage. You have to start at the root of the problem, the low minors.”48 Moneyball, soon to be published, spread the gospel of the walk across the sport, but Jackson had the exact experience Evans highlighted: a history with young talent in the organization’s lower levels.49 Under new GM Epstein, the Red Sox searched for overlooked players, but once they wore the uniform, Jackson ensured their discipline: “We had four or five guys who had long swings and didn’t load up early enough … and we had guys who didn’t do the small things, like move over runners or get the sacrifice fly when the runner was on third. It was the small things.”50

In the 2003-2005 seasons combined, Boston led the major leagues in batting average, slugging average, and on-base percentage. It ranked first each year, except for slugging in 2005 (second place, behind the Texas Rangers).51 The Red Sox boasted superb offensive talent and many players enjoyed career highs in OPS+ during the era, among them Trot Nixon (149, 2003); Bill Mueller (140, 2003); and Jason Varitek (successive highs in 2003, 2004, and 2005). Ever humble, Jackson downplayed his role: “Most of the time, it’s nothing major the guys do. It’s just small things, making adjustments here and there. Just being there for them.”52 Jackson noted that the resilient team “fed off each other” throughout the 2004 season.

Although the January 22, 2003, David Ortíz free-agent acquisition is now seen as a turning point for the team’s fortunes, at the time Ortiz was deemed as a spare piece, not as a lineup anchor. While Ortiz had shown promising power with the Twins, the Minnesota front office felt his defensive shortcomings were too drastic to justify this presence in the roster. Under Jackson, Ortiz matured from a dangerous hitter into a lethal one: “He got to know me, I got to know him. When he’d get into a little funk, he’d come to me. … I wouldn’t go to him. He’d come to me and say, ‘What do you see?’” 53 After breaking Jimmie Foxx’s single-season home-run record in 2006, Ortiz gave Jackson the bat as a memento. Only a few years earlier, Ortiz’s swing was even throughout its motion, his hands level. Jackson noticed and suggested a mechanical adjustment; the rest is Red Sox history.54

“My four years with the Red Sox, we broke all kinds of records. … We had an outstanding hitting team, I was just blessed to have those players. … It made me look good.”55 Jackson took advantage of the national platform to record an instructional video, Ron Jackson’s Hitting Factory: Becoming a Champion Hitter, a natural foray given his jovial personality.56 He cherished the 2004 World Series victory: “This is my 33rd season in professional baseball and this is the best feeling I’ve had when it comes to baseball.”57

Uncharacteristically, the Red Sox struggled at the plate in 2006. Despite a .351 OBP (second in baseball, trailing only the Yankees), the club finished with a pedestrian .269 batting average, exactly the league norm. As it did with Evans four years earlier, the club fired Jackson, though he was powerless to address the main reason for the drop in performance: injuries. Varitek (58 games), Manny Ramírez (30), Coco Crisp (57), Nixon (48), and shortstop Álex González (51) missed considerable playing time.

Jackson’s contract expired at the end of the 2006 season and Boston pursued a different direction. The team hired Dave Magadan, who had previously coached the San Diego Padres. According to press reports, Epstein had been in contact with Magadan during the season and offered him a role.58 With Jackson’s departure, every member of Francona’s 2004 staff had turned over.

Jackson was thankful for the opportunity. He released a five-paragraph statement to the press to express his gratitude: “I want to thank the Red Sox and all the fans of this great team. I will always cherish being a part of Boston’s long road back to the World Series and I loved watching the development and the hard work of the players during my time here in Boston.”59

Red Sox broadcaster Joe Castiglione called Jackson “the guy who really turned David Ortiz into a home-run-hitting superstar in ’03. David used to have trouble hitting the inside fastball. Papa Jack got him to adjust, and he took off from that point. Jackson was an excellent hitting instructor.”60 Fellow commentator (and former Jackson colleague) Jerry Remy called the ’03 club “an outstanding offensive team … really the start of the Golden Era of Red Sox baseball. Ron ‘Papa Jack’ Jackson was the hitting coach and he did a great job with the hitters.”61

Through the 2022 season, Birmingham has produced 87 major-league baseball players, but the city’s connection to the sport is much deeper. With little interruption, teams by the Barons name have played in the minor leagues for over 100 years. In 2023 the Barons were a member of the Double-A Southern League as a Chicago White Sox affiliate.62

The Black Barons, first organized in 1920, under the “Stars” nickname, were one of the Negro Leagues’ premier franchises. The club alternated between the Negro Southern League and the Negro National League with a roster that included Satchel Paige, George “Mule” Suttles, and a young Willie Mays on his way to the New York Giants.63

Birmingham is also home to the nation’s oldest ballpark, Rickwood Field. While no longer the home of the Barons, it still hosts exhibition games. Since its doors opened in 1910 (almost two years before Fenway Park and four prior to Wrigley Field), it has hosted thousands of minor-league, exhibition, and Negro League games. As a child, Jackson attended Atlanta Braves exhibitions: “They used to pack it in. … I used to get excited to see the lights. I played in Rickwood Field in high school all-star teams.”64

These three elements explain Jackson’s commitment to his hometown, where baseball has been dropped from some elementary- and middle-school athletic programs. After three seasons with the Round Rock Express, Papa Jack chose to continue his coaching career but with younger charges. In 2014 he managed the Willie Mays Youth baseball team (11- and 12-year olds) to the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) championship.65 A year later, the city built Cooper Green Park to promote the sport to its youth, and the “Papa Jack Youth Baseball Classic” highlighted local talent to entice MLB’s RBI program to open an academy in Birmingham. Jackson reiterated the importance of “making sure … they are student-athletes instead of athletes, making sure they do their homework, making sure they learn how to read … because that’s going to take them a long way in life.”66 Citing the importance of a strong foundation, he compared the sport and life: “You are going to have a lot of ups, and a lot of downs, you’re going to have to accept both and move on. … Work ethic is very important.”67

Jackson started the Ron “Papa Jack” Baseball Foundation to train young players and aspiring coaches and enhance the quality of life of the Birmingham community.68 Asked about his legacy, Jackson simply stated “Freddy Kennedy, Leo Dawson, and my dad all helped me out when I was little, so I felt like it was my duty to come back and give back. … in June, when school is out, to have an organization where the kids can go play baseball and sharpen their skills. If I can make a difference in someone’s life, I think I’ve done my job.”69

Jackson has three children with his former wife Marva Turner, two stepchildren, and five grandchildren. In his 70th year, he notes “we teach kids more than just play baseball…to go into the real world and be decent citizens. This will prepare them for what they’re going to be in life.”70 This commitment continues with his son Ronnie, who coached Ramsay High School to the 2022 Staten Football Championship, and high school basketball player Nyah Hardy, the granddaughter of his life partner, Beverly Thomas.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Valyncia M. Johnson for connecting the author to Ron Jackson for a telephone interview.

Sources

Unless otherwise noted, quotes stem from the author’s interview with Ron Jackson on May 26, 2023.

Notes

1 “Red Sox Hire Ron Jackson as Batting Coach,” Edwardsville (California) Intelligencer, December 30, 2022. https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Red-Sox-Hire-Ron-Jackson-As-Batting-Coach-10554362.php.

2 “About Us,” Papa Jack’s Gap to Gap Hitting Mat, https://ism3.infinityprosports.com/ismdata/2008102700/std-sitebuilder/sites/200801/www/en/aboutus/aboutpapajack/.

3 Ray Herbat, “One Footballer Who Got Away, Jackson Climbing Angel Ladder,” The Sporting News, June 28, 1975: 35.

4 “Where Are They Now?” YouTube.com, recorded 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpYLlaVpBog.

5 Dick Miller, “Jackson Spreads Wings at Angel Plate,” The Sporting News, July 3, 1976: 16.

6 Herbat.

7 “Class A Leagues,” The Sporting News, May 27, 1972: 47.

8 Ed Prell, “Cactus Loop Picks 16 Man All-Star Squad,” The Sporting News, December 2, 1972: 53.

9 “Texas League,” The Sporting News, July 21, 1973: 41.

10 Dick Miller, “Angels Saw Energy Crisis in September,” The Sporting News, December 1, 1973: 40.

11 Herbat.

12 Dick Miller, “Kiddie Crop Brightening Angels’ Outlook,” The Sporting News, October 19, 1974: 26.

13 Dick Miller, “Scouts Rate More Cheers – Wiencek,” The Sporting News, February 1, 1975: 32.

14 “Albuquerque Has Seven PCL All-Star Selections,” The Sporting News, July 26, 1975: 32.

15 Author’s telephone interview with Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson, May 26, 2023.

16 Herbat.

17 “Where Are They Now?”

18 Dick Miller, “T. Davis Pumps Up Feeble Angel Attack,” The Sporting News, June 26, 1976: 16.

19 Miller, “Jackson Spreads Wings at Angel Plate.”

20 Dick Miller, “Lineup Is Least of Sherry’s Worries,” The Sporting News, January 15, 1977: 54.

21 “AL Flashes,” The Sporting News, July 16, 1977: 44.

22 Randy Galloway, “Aching Blyleven Hands Angels No-Hit Pain,” The Sporting News, October 8, 1977: 17.

23 Dick Miller, “Poppa Jack Makes Folks Cry Uncle,” The Sporting News, May 13, 1978: 12.

24 Miller, “Poppa Jack Makes Folks Cry Uncle.”

25 Miller, “Poppa Jack Makes Folks Cry Uncle.”

26 Dick Miller, “Angels Rue Huge Free-Agent Tab,” The Sporting News, July 8, 1978: 10.

27 Bob Fowler, “Twins’ Park a Hit Haven for Jackson,” The Sporting News, January 6, 1979: 41.

28 Fowler, “Twins’ Park a Hit Haven for Jackson.”

29 Bob Fowler, “Twins’ Jackson Succeeding as First Baseman,” The Sporting News, August 4, 1979: 21.

30 “Caught on the Fly,” The Sporting News, October 27, 1979: 30.

31 Bob Fowler, “Twins Look to Jackson,” The Sporting News, January 19, 1980: 35.

32 Murray Chass, “Finley 0-for-5 in Salary Hearings,” The Sporting News, March 15, 1980: 36.

33 Murray Chass, “$600,000 for Kemp is Arbitration Champ,” The Sporting News, March 14, 1981: 34.

34 Tom Gage, “Jackson Offered Generous Contract,” The Sporting News, November 28, 1981: 55.

35 Tom Gage, “Kemp Price Too High for Tigers,” The Sporting News, December 12, 1981: 44.

36 Stan Isle, “Caught on the Fly,” The Sporting News, April 3, 1982: 38.

37 Joe Falls, “Gripes on TV, Agents, NBA Rookie Voting,” The Sporting News, May 3, 1982: 8.

38 John Strege, “AL West: Forsch to Join Free Agent Club,” The Sporting News, April 24, 1982: 30.

39 John Strege, “DeCinces Joins an Elite Circle,” The Sporting News, August 23, 1982: 27.

40 “Ron Jackson,” Registro Histórico Estadístico del Béisbol Profesional Venezolano, https://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=jackron001.

41 Tweet dated February 4, 2020, by @Tiburonmusiu, https://twitter.com/tiburonmusiu/status/1224670206380990466/photo/1.

42 William Schneider, “One Last Season in the Sun: The Saga of the Senior Professional Baseball Association,” originally published in Society for American Baseball Research, The National Pastime: Baseball in the Sunshine State, Miami, 2016, https://sabr.org/journal/article/one-last-season-in-the-sun-the-saga-of-the-senior-professional-baseball-association/.

43 Glenn Miller, “Papa Jack Generates Hits at Plate,” Fort Myers (Florida) News-Press, March 9, 2004, http://www.greatest21days.com/2021/12/ron-jackson-watched-hitters-his-whole.html, https://www.newspapers.com/article/90777111/ron-jackson-march-9-2004/.

44 Herbat.

45 Bill Nowlin, “‘Papa Jack’ Ron Jackson, Red Sox Hitting Coach,” Diehard Magazine, 2005.

46 United Press International, “ChiSox Fire Lamont, Promote Bevington,” June 2, 1995, https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/06/02/Chisox-fire-Lamont-promote-Bevington/8960802065600/.

47 Phil Rogers, “Coach a Smash Hit in New Job,” Chicago Tribune, September 1, 1997: 48, http://www.greatest21days.com/2021/12/ron-jackson-watched-hitters-his-whole.html, https://www.newspapers.com/article/90774900/ron-jackson-sept-1-1997/.

48 Lenny Megliola, “Evans Not Surprised by Dismissal,” Milford (Massachusetts) Daily News, October 5, 2002. https://www.milforddailynews.com/story/sports/2002/10/05/evans-not-surprised-by-dismissal/41297849007/.

49 Michael Lewis, Moneyball (New York: W.W. Norton, 2003).

50 Dennis Tuttle, “Baseball: The Power of Nine,” The Sporting News, August 31, 2003: 10-12.

51 The Red Sox and the Angels tied in 2004 with an identical .282 batting average, but the Angels were no match for the Red Sox in the three-game ALCS sweep.

52 Glenn Miller, “Papa Jack Generates Hits At Plate.”

53 “David Ortiz’s Hitting Coach Ron ‘Papa Jack’ Jackson,” Action Unlimited, originally broadcast on CBS 42 Birmingham, 2022. Accessed via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ek_Kwe-tk.

54 Benjamin Chase, “Boston Red Sox: The David Ortiz Origin Story,” Call to the Pen, originally published in 2017, https://calltothepen.com/2016/08/29/boston-red-sox-david-ortiz-origin-story/3/.

55 “Where Are They Now?”

56 “Ron Jackson’s Hitting Factory: Becoming a Champion Hitter,” Championship Productions, https://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Baseball/Ron-Jacksons-Hitting-Factory-Becoming-a-Champion-Hitter_LD-02394B.html.

57 William C. Rhoden, “Red Sox Hitters Found a Mentor in Papa Jack,” New York Times, October 31, 2004, Section 8, 3.

58 Associated Press, “Magadan Attempts to Enhance Offense,” October 21, 2006, Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette, https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2006/10/21/magadan-attempts-to-enhance-offense/53033468007/.

59 Nick Cafardo, “Papa Jack Thanks Boston Fans,” Boston.com, October 3, 2006, https://www.boston.com/sports/extra-bases/2006/10/03/papa_jack_thank/.

60 Joe Castiglione and Douglas B. Lyons, Can You Believe It? 30 Years of Insider Stories with the Boston Red Sox (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2021), 176-7.

61 Jerry Remy, Nick Cafardo, and Sean McDonough, If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Red Sox (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2019), 141.

62 The current Birmingham Barons moved from Montgomery prior to the 1981 season. The Birmingham Sports Pro web site details the city’s sports lineage, http://www.birminghamprosports.com/.

63 “The Birmingham Black Barons,” Negro Southern League Museum, Birmingham, Alabama, https://www.birminghamnslm.org/the-birmingham-black-barons/.

64 Author’s telephone interview with Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson, May 26, 2023.

65 “Birmingham Boys Returning Home as Baseball Champions as City Officials Work to Recruit Annual Major League Event,” Alabama.com, July 16, 2024, https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2014/07/birmingham_boys_returning_home.html.

66 “Inaugural ‘Pappa Jack’ [sic] Classic Draws Huge Crowd & ‘Sportskid of the Year’ Mona Davis, City Council of Birmingham, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no5x0P3h7f0.

67 Ron “Papa Jack” Jackson interview, Sideline show, originally published 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YiuEj2n_vM.

68 Papa Jack’s Baseball Website, https://papajackbaseball.org/.

69 “Where Are They Now?”

70 Willie Mays RBI League, YouTube, originally published on April 19, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qasGY9YfSOA