HASTINGS, Neb.—As the voice of St. Cecilia varsity football for more than three decades, Jim Jackson is used to people in Hastings recognizing him from time to time.
But only when he speaks.
“I think my voice is recognizable, but my face isn’t, thank God,” the 79-year-old said recently. “I’m not the most handsome man in the world.”
If his calls are a tad more enthusiastic when one of his four grandsons—Cody, Jase and Jared Jackson and Jameson Esch—makes a big play, so be it.
“It’s hard not to be a little biased,” he said. “My spotters all get a charge out of me when one of my grandsons does something special and I put a little more emphasis on his name than the other ones. I try to keep myself under control.”
Calling family names has become commonplace for Jackson through the years. A father of five with 19 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, he proudly boasts having had one or more relatives on the field in uniform at St. Cecilia each year since 1973.
His sons, Jim and Jon, both Bluehawk football alums, have supported his efforts in the booth as spotters. His son-in-law, Mike Esch, also spots for him from time to time.
Jackson assumed his announcer duties more than 30 years ago.
A native of Lincoln, Jackson played football and basketball against St. Cecilia teams while attending Cathedral High School in the mid-1940s.
“The irony of it all is the team we always wanted to beat was Hastings St. Cecilia,” he said. “They were our biggest rival.”
At University of Nebraska in Lincoln, his speech instructor recognized his vocal gift and encouraged him to use his talent in some manner.
Alas, Jackson’s interest as a business major was elsewhere.
“It was a such a shock to me when he wrote on one of my papers that I had an inherently beautiful voice,” Jackson said.
Following a stint in the Army infantry, he met his wife, Julie, through his sister, Shirley, in 1955. They married two years later.
After a pair of job-related moves with K.N. Energy to Columbus and Phillipsburg, Kan., he eventually accepted a position at the company’s Hastings branch in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he attended his first Bluehawks home game as a spectator to watch his nephews play.
It didn’t take him long to warm up to his former rival.
“It took about less than 15 minutes for me to be hooked,” he said. “I’ve been a supporter ever since. It was their spirit, the way everybody was backing them. It’s great.”
Jackson likes to arrive at games about an hour early, which gives him time to fetch the starting lineup from the opposing team’s coach.
“I enjoy it immensely,” he said. “My family is what keeps me in it. I would probably be just as involved if I didn’t have everybody, but it’s a bonus to have these youngsters around to keep me posted on what’s happening with the sports aspect of it.
“My wife thinks it’s too scary for me to climb up in the booth any longer, so this may be my last year,” he said. “I do enjoy this very much, and I’m going to miss it terribly when I quit or get fired. We’ll see what happens.”
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Information from: Hastings Tribune,
