Jackson, Mylo

1929 Ardmore (Fall River County, SD) High School/1934 Northern State graduate. Won seven state titles and eight Eastern South Dakota Conference titles in coaching three sports at Aberdeen Central (head track coach for three seasons, head football coach for 18 seasons and head boys’ basketball coach for 13 seasons). His boys’ track teams were the state runners-up in 1943 and the 1944 state champions. His 1942 Central football team (first year as head coach) won the ESD and mythical state titles and his 1943, 1946 and 1948 football teams also won state titles. His basketball teams won state titles in 1949 and 1953, were state runners-up in 1955 and qualified for the state tourney 11 times in his 13 seasons. Jackson was known for meshing old-school and new-school ways. In March 1952, he and his Aberdeen Central basketball team was making its way to Mitchell for the state tourney when a SD blizzard hit. They had to stop in Huron, whose hotel rooms were full. The team slept on Army cots in the Marvin Hughitt Hotel dining room. The team bus followed a snow plow the next day to Mitchell where they arrived minutes before tip-off. Aberdeen wowed the crowd in their shiny blue and gold, full-length batman capes (Golden Eagle on extended back collar, “Aberdeen” and players’ number on back of cape), warmed up a couple of minutes and beat well-rested Mitchell 43-41 in the first-round (Mitchell had beaten Aberdeen twice during regular season). His teams also practiced on baskets with inserts that made the rims smaller. Jackson was a former president of the SD Coaches Association. Served as Aberdeen’s athletic director from 1946-62. Two-year, three-sport (football, basketball and track) standout at Spearfish Teachers College (now Black Hills State) where he quarterbacked the Yellow Jackets to two conference titles. Transferred to Northern for his last two years, playing football and basketball. On Jan. 27, 1934, in Aberdeen, Jackson led the Wolves to a 47-27 win over his former Spearfish basketball teammates, the Yellow Jackets sixth loss in six nights on the road. Jackson began his coaching and teaching career in Vale in 1934 for two years and then at Gettysburg for two years. He moved to Aberdeen as a teacher and assistant coach in 1938. Born in Sholes, NE; died in Coronado CA. Moved from Nebraska to rural Ardmore ranch when he was 9 in 1919 with his family (which included Mylo’s twin brother Waldo). Retired in 1976 as a math teacher in California (left Aberdeen for there in 1963). Member of Black Hills State Hall of Fame.