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For decades, Coach B.J. Jackson has been more than a coach to generations of young athletes — he has been a mentor, role model and steady presence whose influence reaches far beyond the playing field.
Though widely known as a Monticello figure, Jackson’s story began in nearby Warren. He spent his early childhood in the Ingalls community of Bradley County before his family moved to Monticello when he was in sixth grade, opening Jackson Saw Company in 1963. The move would ultimately shape both his future and the future of countless students he would later coach.
Jackson graduated from Monticello High School in 1970 with no initial plans to attend college. However, the encouragement of several influential figures changed the direction of his life. Among them was Espie Moore, who later became the baseball coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Jackson also credits summer coaches, including Buddy Lemons — at a time when high schools did not yet field baseball teams — along with members of Pauline Baptist Church, for inspiring him to continue his education.
He enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a minor in speech in 1975. It was during those college years that Jackson realized coaching was his true calling.
“My eligibility ran out to play American Legion baseball, and they asked me to coach,” Jackson said. “That’s when I knew what my journey would be.”
Following graduation, Jackson began his coaching career at Montrose Academy, coaching both boys and girls basketball. He later spent six years at Hampton High School coaching basketball and football before moving to Drew Central, where he coached boys basketball for three years and continued teaching for nine more.
In 1995, Jackson returned to Monticello High School, beginning what would become one of the most defining chapters of his career. That same year, he founded the Monticello High School softball program — a program built from humble beginnings.
The early teams practiced and played slow-pitch softball at the city field using borrowed equipment. When Arkansas transitioned to fast-pitch softball in 1999, Jackson said his passion for the sport truly blossomed.
Over time, the program flourished, growing into one of the most respected in South Arkansas. The Monticello Billie softball team has captured 11 conference championships and, in 2024, broke a state record for home runs — an accomplishment Jackson believes reflected the team’s dedication and growth.
Jackson briefly retired in 2005 while serving as caretaker for his mother, but before the school year began, he was asked to return to teaching and coaching. He answered the call. After retiring again in 2015, Jackson once more returned to the dugout in 2022 as softball coach, continuing the work he has devoted his life to.
Throughout his career, Jackson has guided players using a simple philosophy: “Act right, do right and don’t do anything stupid.”
While wins and championships stand out, Jackson says the most meaningful rewards come years later.
“Watching them grow up,” he said. “They don’t realize what we have now, but later players have called me asking advice about their kids.”
His dedication has earned numerous honors, including Conference Coach of the Year in 1999, 2000 and 2001; Southeast Arkansas 8AAAA Softball Coach of the Year from 2022 through 2025; Southeast Arkansas Coach of the Year in 2023; and induction into the Officiating Hall of Fame in 2022.
Beyond athletics, Jackson remains deeply invested in his community. He is active with the Monticello Youth Council, working with young people during the summer, and helped secure funding for pickleball courts at Western Pines, further expanding recreational opportunities in the area.
When reflecting on what advice he would give his younger self, Jackson’s answer reveals the heart behind his decades of service.
“You’ve got to have the heart for it,” he said. “Every day at the end of practice and on game day, the team gathers and says, ‘Love it.’ You have to get the team to buy in.”
Jackson considers his greatest accomplishment not the awards or championships, but the softball program itself — one that grew from borrowed equipment and city-field practices into a program that now plays on one of the finest facilities in South Arkansas, made possible through community support, his parents and a dedicated booster club.
For Jackson, Drew County is more than home; it is the foundation of his life’s work.
“I grew up here,” he said. “There are many lifelong friends here. I love my church family.”
And through decades of teaching, coaching and mentoring, Coach B.J. Jackson has ensured that generations of young athletes can say the same — that Monticello is home, and that someone believed in them enough to help shape who they would become.
