Jelly Jackson was born in the District way back in 1909. He attended Armstrong High School. He grew up playing baseball on the sand lots of the District. A good athlete he excelled in many different sports, For many years he worked for the DC Department of Sanitary Engineering, retiring in 1974. He passed away in 1980.
“Jelly” Jackson, was a speedster, like Cool Papa Bell, he was known for his speed on the base paths. Jackson would often participate in sprints against some of the games fastest players for prize money. Like Bell his skin color prevented him from playing in the major leagues. He was very popular with the home town fans in Washington. He could field with the best of them, but was a light hitter, in nine Negro League Seasons he batted .193.
In 1932 Jelly played briefly as a shortstop on the Washington Pilots. At the time he was mentioned as a well known local sandlot shortstop.
Jackson played football, playing for the Washington Yellow Jackets. In February 1933 Jelly Jackson was a member of the Pleasant Plains basketball team. Nine miles outside Warrenton, VA, en route to a game at Harrisonburg, VA, the sedan the team was traveling in was knocked off the road by a coupe operated by a white man,. Jackson suffered cuts and bruises. Several members of the team were seriously injured.
In 1934 he played on the Cleveland Red Sox. He switched to the Homestead Grays one year later, beginning a long association with that club. His long run with the Grays ended in 1940.
In 1941 Jackson opted off the Washington Homestead Club and decided to stay home and play with the Royal Giants. Said to be a crack outfit that used Norbeck, MD as its home field. Jelly had a steady job in Washington, which was the reason for the switch.
In 1943 he signed on with the Washington Aztec team under Lee Calhoun. In 1944 he was back with the Grays, this time playing second base, returning for his final year in 1945.
