Jimmy Jackson first made his name known in wrestling at Ottawa Hills High School where he was a 1974 Class A state heavyweight champion after winning the U.S. Wrestling Federation Junior National Freestyle heavyweight title in 1973.
He made the U.S. Olympic Team in 1976 and reached the third round in the competition at the games in Montreal. At national power Oklahoma State University, the 6-foot-6 star won three NCAA championships (’76, ’77, ’78), was a three-time All-American, compiled an 88-9-2 career record, went 29-0 in his senior season and won 44 college matches by pinning his opponent.
At the end of his college career he received a free agent offer from the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, but opted to continue wrestling and was a three-time World Cup champion.
Jackson is a member of the Oklahoma State Athletics Hall of Honor and the College Wrestling Hall of Fame. He died in 2008 at the age of 51.