George Jackson

Class of 2019

Pitcher, Outfield & Manager

Player: Lafeyette 1946; Rainbow Gardens Gardeners 1947, 53-54; Cadott Lions 1950-52, 56; Cadott Red Sox 1960, 67-68

Manager: Cadott Lions 1956; Cadott Red Sox 1957-60, 62-64, 68-70, 79

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A baseball lifer and longtime supporter of baseball in the Cadott area, George Jackson’s league career stretched across 33 years, four different teams, and the roles of both player and manager.

Getting his start for Rainbow Gardens in 1946, George was the featured thrower for the Gardeners in the first two years of post-World War II baseball in the Chippewa Valley. His career year came in 1947 when he led the then “Chippewa Valley League” with the healthy totals of 109.1 innings pitched and 104 strikeouts while going 9 and 3 from the mound with a 3.29 ERA for the 10 and 4 Gardeners.

After a three-year hiatus, George returned to C.V.L. play in 1950 for the 1st year Cadott Lions, settling in to a role as a consistent hitter and reliable innings eater from the mound. Over a broadly spaced, 11-year league playing career, Jackson gathered 112 hits while logging 308.1 innings, averaging 8.09 K’s per nine innings pitched with a career record of 19 wins and 14 losses.

Beyond his time as a player, Jackson’s greater impact came as both a manager of Cadott teams and ardent supporter of baseball in the Cadott area. Managing a total of twelve seasons over 23 years, George’s first campaign as skipper came in 1956 with the Cadott Lions.

In 1957, Jackson managed and helped organize the inaugural year of play for the Cadott Red Sox. Going 15 and 3, the first year Sox captured the Chippewa Valley League championship and qualified for the WBA.

In 1958, George led Cadott to a perfect 10 and 0 season, a South Division title (there was no league championship that year), and a spot in the WBA. As of 2019, the 1958 Sox are still one of only seven teams in CRBL history to finish a league season undefeated.

Fast forward to 1962, Mr. Jackson’s Red Sox captured another South Division crown and survived to play in the franchise’s first WBA Final 8, where the Sox lost their second game in the Finals to Brill at Cushing.

After guiding Cadott to their fourth WBA appearance in 1970, George had seemingly completed his managerial duties. After an eight year absence, he returned in 1979 for one more season at the helm. Leading the Red Sox to one of their finest seasons ever, the South Division winning Sox went 16 and 1 before losing 8-5 to Tilden in the CRBL championship bout and going 1 and 1 in the WBA tournament.

In total, Mr. Jackson’s twelve seasons at the controls yielded three South Division titles, one league championship, five WBA appearances, and one spot in the WBA’s Final 8.

Upon induction in to the Chippewa River Baseball League Hall of Fame, George Jackson’s all-time managerial ranks can be found in division titles (tied for 8th), wins (tied for 12th), games managed (14th), winning percentage (14th), and WBA appearances (tied for 14th).