Samuel D. Jackson

Samuel D. Jackson attended Emory & Henry College in the early 1900s. A versatile athlete, he was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements as a collegiate football player.

In addition to football, Jackson also was a member of the basketball, baseball, and track & field teams, earning a total of 16 varsity letters during his career.

After graduating, Jackson served as an aviator in the U.S. Air Corps during World War I. He then became involved in sports officiating. Jackson is recognized as the founder of the first organized officials association in Tennessee. He later served as commissioner of the Appalachian Board of Approved Officials. He spent much of his time traveling through Tennessee and developing local officials and associations. Jackson received much recognition for his contributions, not only in high school circles but also as a member of the Southern Football Officials Association, which is now the Southeastern Conference. He was widely recognized as the top head linesman in college for years. Jackson stated one of his biggest thrills was being named to officiate the 1942 Orange Bowl. In 1947, a coronary occlusion forced Jackson to retire from his highly successful officiating career.

Samuel D. Jackson died at the age of 82 in 1977. He was elected posthumously into the Tennessee Secondary School Athletics Association Hall of Fame in 1982 for his contributions to high school sports officiating.