Jimmy Jackson embraced nearly everything athletic at MT. As a freshman and sophomore, he played halfback on the football team until an injury ended his days on the gridiron. During those same years, he played basketball and went on to be that team's manager in his junior year. An outstanding baseball pitcher as a sophomore and junior, he claimed two victories over Vanderbilt, a three-hitter and a four-hitter.
In 1939, along with fellow Hall of Famers, John Bragg, Gene McIntire and E.K Patty, he was a member of MT's inaugural golf team, coached by E.W. "Wink" Midgett. In his senior year, he was student body president. For 28 years, Jackson was an assistant bursar in MT's Business Office and also served as treasurer of the MT Foundation.