Barbara J. Jacket (December 26, 1934 – January 6, 2022) was an American track and field coach. She was the women's track and field head coach for

Prairie View A&M Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher learning ...

from 1965 to 1991. While with the university, Jacket won ten

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

titles and was promoted to athletic director in 1990. Apart from college athletics, Jacket was the head coach at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

for the American women's track and field competitors. Her position made her the second African-American woman to become an Olympic head coach for the United States. Additional events where Jacket coached the women's track and field team for the United States were the

1987 World Championships in Athletics The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987. Men's results Track 1983 , 1987 ...

and

1991 World Championships in Athletics The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1. 1517 athletes from 167 countries participa ...

. Jacket was inducted into the

International Women's Sports Hall of Fame This is a list of female sports athletes who have been inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, which recognizes the athletic and coaching achievements of women. Selections are made worldwide and are based on achievements, brea ...

in 1995.

Early life and education

Jacket was born in

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County; it is east of Houston. The largest oil refinery in the United Sta ...

, on December 26, 1934, and had two siblings. Growing up, Jacket played several sports including softball and track and field. For her post-secondary education, Jacket went to

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

with a basketball scholarship and studied

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

for a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1958. She later received a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

Prairie View A&M University Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher learnin ...

in 1968.

Career

Jacket began her coaching career teaching basketball in

Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now moder ...

, and Port Arthur, Texas, before joining Prairie View A&M as a swimming instructor in 1964. The following year, Jacket established the Prairie View A&M Panthers and Lady Panthers track and field team in 1965 as their head coach. During her coaching tenure with Prairie View A&M until 1991, Jacket was the winning coach of ten

championships and fourteen

Southwestern Athletic Conference The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in t ...

titles in track and field. Outside of college athletics, Jacket was an assistant coach for the United States women's national track and field team during the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

. As a head coach, she was on the women's track and field team which competed at the 1975 World University Games,

and

for the United States. Her

head coach appointment made Jacket the second African-American woman to hold this position for the United States. Apart from coaching, Jacket was the athletic director for Prairie View A&M from 1990 to 1995 and taught health for the university during the 2000s. Jacket ended her career with Prairie View A&M in 2010 upon retirement.

Personal life and death

Jacket was arrested in 1990 on the charges of document fraud and misconduct. She died in

Richmond, Texas Richmond is a city in and the county seat of Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, Texas, United States. The city is located within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 11,627. It is home to the founder ...

, on January 6, 2022, at the age of 87.

Awards and honors

She was inducted into the Prairie View A&M University Sports Hall Of Fame in 1992. Additionally, Jacket was named into the

in 1995 and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association hall of fame in 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacket, Barbara 1934 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American sportspeople African-American college athletic directors in the United States Olympic coaches for the United States Prairie View A&M Panthers and Lady Panthers athletic directors Prairie View A&M Panthers and Lady Panthers track and field coaches Prairie View A&M University alumni Sportspeople from Port Arthur, Texas Tuskegee University alumni Women college athletic directors in the United States