Sonny Jackson (American football)
William "Sonny" Jackson (born September 24, 1938) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Nicholls State University from 1981 to 1986 and at McNeese State University from 1987 to 1989.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1938 |
| Alma mater | Nicholls State University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1979–1980 | Northeast Louisiana (assistant) |
| 1981–1986 | Nicholls State |
| 1987–1989 | McNeese State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 52–48–1 (college) |
| Tournaments | 1–1 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Gulf Star (1984) | |
Coaching career
High School career
Prior to his college coaching career, Jackson was an assistant coach and later head football coach at St. Joseph Benedictine High School in Chauvin, Louisiana.[1] He was also head coach at Central High School in Central, Louisiana.[1]
College career
Jackson was an assistant coach at Northeast Louisiana University for two seasons from 1979 to 1980.[1] In 1981, Jackson was hired for his first college head coaching position at his alma mater, Nicholls State University.[1][2] He coached the Colonels for six seasons through 1986 and compiled a record of 39 wins, 28 losses and 1 tie.[3][4] In 1986, he guided Nicholls State to its first appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs and led the team to their first playoff win.[5]
From 1987 to 1989, Jackson was head football coach at McNeese State University and compiled a record of 13 wins and 20 losses.[6][7] He had a career college football coaching record of 52 wins, 48 losses and 1 tie in his nine seasons as a head coach.
Personal life
Jackson is a 1963 graduate of Nicholls State University.[1] His son, Hud Jackson, is also a college football head coach.[8]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholls State Colonels (NCAA Division I-AA independent) (1981–1983) | |||||||||
| 1981 | Nicholls State | 5–5–1 | |||||||
| 1982 | Nicholls State | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1983 | Nicholls State | 5–6 | |||||||
| Nicholls State Colonels (Gulf Star Conference) (1984–1986) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Nicholls State | 6–5 | 4–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1985 | Nicholls State | 6–5 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1986 | Nicholls State | 10–3 | 2–2 | T–2nd | L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal | ||||
| Nicholls State: | 39–28–1 | 8–6 | |||||||
| McNeese State Cowboys (Southland Conference) (1987–1989) | |||||||||
| 1987 | McNeese State | 2–9 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1988 | McNeese State | 6–5 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1989 | McNeese State | 5–6 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| McNeese State: | 13–20 | 6–12 | |||||||
| Total: | 52–48–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- "All-Time Records" (PDF). geauxcolonels.com. p. 69. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- "Coaching Records" (PDF). southland.org. p. 49. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- "Nicholls State University Directory". sportsnetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- "Nicholls State Colonels". totalfootballstats.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- "Year-by-Year Division I Championship Results" (PDF). ncaa.org. p. 7. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- "Cowboy will begin 68th season of football at McNeese this week". mcneesesports.com. August 29, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- "All Time Results". issuu.com. p. 55. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- "UAM Hires UCA's Jackson To Lead Program". katv.com. September 11, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2020.