Mannie Jackson
Chairman and CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters
Born in a railway boxcar in Illmo, Missouri, Jackson grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois. He attended the University
of Illinois, becoming the first African-American All-American and captain of the Illini basketball team. Throughout
his career, Jackson has been a successful athlete and business entrepreneur and has received many awards along the
way. He has shared his success through charitable involvement and the program development.
Globetrotters Success
Prior to taking the reins of the Globetrotters in 1993, Jackson served as President and General Manager of Honeywell's
Telecommunications Business before retiring as a Corporate Officer and Senior Vice President of Honeywell, Inc. A former
Globetrotter player, Jackson became the first African-American to own a major international sports and entertainment
organization when he purchased the team in 1993.
As Chairman and CEO of the Harlem Globetrotters, Mannie Jackson revived the near-bankrupt organization into one
of the most admired and publicized teams in the world. Measurements of success include:
Accomplishments
- Five-fold revenue increase, new record-level fan base
- Induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 27, 2002 and recognition six of the past seven years
- Twelve consecutive years of double-digit growth at the conclusion of the 2005 North American Tour
- Impressive list of national sponsors
- Game attendance of over two million annually in 118 countries
- Most-liked and recognized team in the world in 1999, 2000 and 2002 according to the Sports Q ratings
Business Career Highlights
Mannie L. Jackson has been recognized in various prominent financial publications throughout his career and
shared his business expertise through service.
Recognition
- He was named as one of the Nation's 30 Most Powerful and Influential Black Corporate Executives and one of
the Nation's Top 50 Corporate Strategists.
- Jackson was named one of the 20 African-American High Net Worth Entrepreneurs in 1992.
- In the spring of 2001, Harvard Business Review published a first-person account of Jackson's
business principles that turned the Globetrotters into a market leader and world-famous team.
- Jackson has served on the Board of Directors of five Fortune 500 companies, the American Red Cross Board of
Governors, and as vice chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Jackson is a founding member and former president of the Executive Leadership Council, providing African-American
executives with a network and leadership forum to promote excellence in business.
Sport Career Milestones
Mannie Jackson's sport career includes becoming:
Milestones
- A charter member of the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame
- A charter member of Black Legends of Professional Basketball
- A member of the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame.
- An investor with a limited partnership interest in the Arizona Diamondbacks
Awards
Throughout his career, Jackson received numerous awards recognizing business and humanitarian achievements:
Achievements
- Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame Induction—Jackson and the Globetrotters; 2002
- Humanitarian of the Year Award—50th annual award bestowed upon Jackson by National Conference
of Community and Justice's (NCCJ) Arizona region; 2002.
- Effa Manley Sports Executive-of-the-Year Award—Prestigious Rainbow/Push Coalition awarded
for his work with the Globetrotter organization; 2002.
- Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters—Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the nation's oldest
historical black college founded in 1854, recognized Jackson for his work within the business community; spring of 2003.
- Executive Leadership Council achievement award—presented in 2003.
- Man-of-the-Year—named by the Winner's Circle for Children Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky,
during the Kentucky Derby weekend celebration; May 2005
- National Civil Rights Museum inaugural International Award—recognizing years of promoting human rights
throughout the world; January 2006.
- In the spring of 2001, Harvard Business Review published a first-person account of Jackson's business principles
that turned the Globetrotters into a market leader and world-famous team.
- Jackson has served on the Board of Directors of five Fortune 500 companies, the American Red Cross Board of Governors,
and as vice chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Jackson is a founding member and former president of the Executive Leadership Council, providing African-American executives
with a network and leadership forum to promote excellence in business.
Charitable Involvement
Since 1993, the Globetrotters charitable contributions have totaled more than $11 million including:
Contributions
- Nelson Mandela African Children's Foundation—Jackson and the Globetrotters were instrumental in securing
over $2 million; 1996–1997 season
- Lincoln School Alumni Foundation of Edwardsville, Illinois—In the, Jackson announced an endowment of $100,000 to provide
college scholarships; fall, 1997
- Globetrotters Alumni Association—Jackson pledged $250,000; fall 1997
- The NCCJ Anytown USA leadership program—Jackson contributed $125,000 to the Harlem Globetrotters Scholarship Fund,
allowing Arizona youth to participate in the program.
- American Red Cross for the Disaster Relief Fund—Jackson contributed $100,000 to help victims of September 11; 2001–2002 season.
- Basketball Hall of Fame—Jackson contributed $250,000 to continue basketball's greatest legacy; 2003.
- UNICEF—Jackson pledged $100,000 pledge for aid to Southeast Asia tsunami victims; January 2005.
- Edwardsville YMCA—$250,000 donation; January 2005.
- Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast victims—$200,000 donation; September 2005
Jackson and his wife, Cathy, reside in Las Vegas, Nevada with their two adult daughters: Cassandra, a
graduate of DePaul University, who is currently studying to be a chef, and Candace, a graduate of New York University
and Columbia University, who recently joined the Wall Street Journal as an Associate Editor.
» Read about Jackson's Illini experience (5MB PDF)