Hall of Fame

Barbara J. Jacket

  • Class
  • Induction
    1993
  • Sport(s)
    Administration, Women's Track & Field
  • Prairie View A&M
Early Life & Education
  • Barbara Jacket was born on December 26, 1934, in Port Arthur, Texas.  
  • She attended Lincoln High School in Port Arthur, where she excelled in basketball and track.
  • She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Tuskegee University (1958) and later a Master of Education from PVAMU (1968).
Career at PVAMU
  • She joined PVAMU in 1964 as a swimming instructor.
  • In 1965–66 she founded the women’s track & field program at PVAMU.  
  • She served as head coach of the women’s track & field team until 1991.
  • In 1990 she became athletic director at PVAMU — the only woman athletic director in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) at that time.
Achievements & Legacy
  • Her teams at PVAMU won 23 SWAC championships (including indoor, outdoor, and cross country) and numerous national titles.
  • She coached 57 All-Americans during her tenure at PVAMU.
  • On the international stage, she served as head coach of the U.S. Women’s Track & Field team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
  • Her driving principle is summarized by her motto: “Nobody remembers second place.”