Sonny Jackson grew up in Takoma Park and was, despite his small size, one of the best athletes ever to come from that community. His senior year at Blair, Sonny was the quarterback on the Bi-County Championship football team, the Captain of the State Championship Basketball Team, and Captain of the County Championship baseball team. He was offered scholarships to many colleges, including the University of Maryland, but instead chose to go directly into professional baseball. He signed with the Houston Colt 45’s (later the Astros), and played for Houston and Atlanta for a total of more than 12 years. His best year was 1966 when he set a record for steals by a rookie and was runner up in Rookie of the Year balloting.
After his playing days, Sonny continued to be active in baseball. He was a coach and manager for several minor league teams in the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants organizations and a coach with the Giants and Cubs major league teams.