Mannie Jackson

Mannie Jackson
Personal information
Born (1939-05-04) May 4, 1939
Illmo, Missouri, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolEdwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois)
CollegeIllinois (1957–1960)
PositionGuard
Number30
Career history
1960–1961New York Tapers
1962–1964Harlem Globetrotters
Career highlights
  • 1st African-American owner of major sports corporation
  • 1st African-American Fighting Illini basketball player
  • Theodore Roosevelt Award (2015)
  • University of Illinois Honored Jersey (2013)
  • Chairman, Basketball Hall of Fame, (2007–09)
  • All-American (1960)
  • 2x All-Big Ten (1959, 1960)
Basketball Hall of Fame

Mannie Jackson (born May 4, 1939) is the chairman and co-owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, for whom he played from 1962 to 1964. He was the first African American with controlling ownership in an entertainment organization and international sports team. Jackson has been heavily recognized throughout his career including an acknowledgment as one of the nation's 30 most powerful and influential black corporate executives, one of the nation's top 50 corporate strategists, and one of the 20 African-American high-net-worth entrepreneurs.