Class of 1962
Roland “Sonny” Jackson captioned the County Champion football team, the State Champion basketball team, and the County Champion baseball team during his senior year at Blair. He was drafted by the Houston Colt 45’s and went right to pros after graduation. (Jackson had been offered a baseball/basketball scholarship to the University of Maryland which, had he accepted it, would have made him the first black athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference). He played professional baseball for 12 years with Houston and the Atlanta Braves, appearing in a major league game for the first time when he was only 18 years old. He still holds the record for stolen bases by a rookie. After retiring as a player Jackson remained in the major leagues as a coach for more than 30 years. (Note: Jackson’s uniforms were on display in the Baseball Hall of Fame exhibition on team uniforms).