Former All-SEC performer Mike Jackson has been selected as Tennessee’s Allstate SEC Basketball Legend and will represent the Volunteers at the SEC Tournament next month in his hometown of Nashville.
He will be recognized by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey at midcourt during halftime of Tennessee’s first game at the SEC Tournament. The tournament takes place March 13-17 at Bridgestone Arena.
Jackson starred in the Tennessee frontcourt for head coach Ray Mears from 1973-77. He was a co-captain and starter—as well as the third-leading scorer, behind the legendary duo of Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld—on the Vols’ 1977 SEC Championship Team.
Jackson was a second-team All-SEC selection during that senior campaign, and he finished his four-year career as the program’s eighth all-time leading scorer with 1,243 points.
He averaged 14.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting .482 from the field in 87 career games. As a junior in 1975-76, he averaged a career-best 16.7 points per game. His best career scoring performance was a 33-point effort in a neutral-site win over Seton Hall on Dec. 11, 1976.
This honor for Jackson makes for what is believed to be a “first” in SEC history, as each member of Tennessee’s 1976-77 starting five has now been selected as an SEC Legend. Reggie Johnson was Tennessee’s Legend in 1999, Grunfeld was honored in 2001, King in 2008 and Johnny Darden in 2015.
Joining Jackson in this year’s Legends class is Erwin Dudley (Alabama, 2000-03), Corey Beck,(Arkansas, 1992-95), Mike Mitchell (Auburn, 1975-78), Livingston Chatman (Florida, 1987-91), Jumaine Jones (Georgia, 1997-99), Johnny Cox (Kentucky, 1957-59), Wayde Sims (LSU, 2016-18), Justin Reed (Ole Miss, 2001-04), Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State, 2003-05), Melvin Booker (Missouri, 1991-94), Carlos Powell (South Carolina, 2001-05), Antoine Wright (Texas A&M, 2002-05) and Derrick Byars (Vanderbilt, 2005-07).
TENNESSEE’S ALL-TIME SEC LEGENDS
1999 – Reggie Johnson
2000 – A.W. Davis
2001 – Ernie Grunfeld
2002 – Tony White
2003 – Tom Boerwinkle
2004 – Dale Ellis
2005 – Ron Widby
2006 – Bill Justus
2007 – Allan Houston
2008 – Bernard King
2009 – Paul “Lefty” Walther
2010 – Don DeVoe
2011 – Jimmy England
2012 – Gene Tormohlen
2013 – Len Kosmalski
2014 – Ed Wiener
2015 – Johnny Darden
2016 – Vincent Yarbrough
2017 – Ron Slay
2018 – Howard Wood
2019 – Mike Jackson
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