Former Pikeville Coach Mike Jackson is now at...
Former Pikeville HS coach Mike Jackson will be announced today as the new head football coach at Louisville Ballard.
Good luck to you Coach Jackson! I wish you the best. I also want to thank Coach J for giving me the opportunity to get back into coaching, especially at Pikeville. So thanks and good luck!
Congratulations to Coach Jackson and best of luck at Ballard.
Good luck to him at Ballard.
Good luck Coach J with your new job at Ballard. It seemed like you always wanted what was best for the kids above everything else. It should be a good fit for you at Ballard. You will always be respected by me for the character and work ethic you have.
Coach J. I wish you, Karin and Nate the best of luck!!! I hate to see a good friend and neighbor move away, but it will be good for you and your family. Congratulations!!!
Wow that should be a great job for him and also a great test. I think his type of coaching is best suited for a big school.
I hope all goes well for Coach J at Ballard...seems like a good fit...but i sure am gonna miss the guy!
Coach im going to miss ya.
is Ballard a big school?
If...Then Wrote:Coach im going to miss ya.
is Ballard a big school?
Yes.
Panther Thunder Wrote:Yes.
how man A's?
If...Then Wrote:how man A's?
6A 1,700 Students
Panther Thunder Wrote:6A 1,700 Students
WOW. go Coach J!
If...Then Wrote:WOW. go Coach J!
You've really never heard of Ballard?
Panther Thunder Wrote:You've really never heard of Ballard?
Ive heard of the name but never really knew the school good. Still dont know their mascot
If...Then Wrote:Ive heard of the name but never really knew the school good. Still dont know their mascot
Shewwwww... Ballard (Louisville) They are the Bruins. A traditional powerhouse in the state at basketball and usually very good at baseball. They won the State chamiopnship the last time Pikeville won the 15th region. They defeated Pikeville en route to the chamionship that year. But football it is always tough with Trinity, St. X, and Male. I've got a shirt if you'd like to see it lol. It's right here.
Panther Thunder Wrote:Shewwwww... Ballard (Louisville) They are the Bruins. A traditional powerhouse in the state at basketball and usually very good at baseball. They won the State chamiopnship the last time Pikeville won the 15th region. They defeated Pikeville en route to the chamionship that year. But football it is always tough with Trinity, St. X, and Male. I've got a shirt if you'd like to see it lol. It's right here.
thanks,
you have a shirt for everything big L. lol
like the Pikeville 2002 shirt i gave u for the florida shirt.
If...Then Wrote:thanks,
you have a shirt for everything big L. lol
like the Pikeville 2002 shirt i gave u for the florida shirt.
I took all kinds of those shirts to FLA with me and I haven't seen any since then. Like my Henry Clay one, or the 02 shirt. But yea Ballard is a big school which Coach Jackson was more suited for. But St. X and Trinity might make him wish he had stayed at little ole Pikeville lol!
Hopefully he does well, good luck to him.
Panther Thunder Wrote:Shewwwww... Ballard (Louisville) They are the Bruins. A traditional powerhouse in the state at basketball and usually very good at baseball. They won the State chamiopnship the last time Pikeville won the 15th region. They defeated Pikeville en route to the chamionship that year. But football it is always tough with Trinity, St. X, and Male. I've got a shirt if you'd like to see it lol. It's right here.
and pretty good known for being where Alan Houston (former NBA star) went to high school.
Best of Luck to Coach J and his family.
This is the schedule and results for Ballard in 07.
Aug 24, '07
St. XavierSt. Xavier14- 18(L)Aug 31, '07
Pleasure Ridge ParkPleasure Ridge Park27- 21(W)(overtime)Sep 7, '07
DuPont ManualBallard7- 30(L)Sep 14, '07
ButlerBallard42- 21(W)Sep 21, '07
SenecaSeneca40- 20(W)Sep 28, '07
MaleMale13- 44(L)Oct 4, '07
Trinity (Louisville)Ballard23- 48(L)Oct 12, '07OpenBallard- Oct 19, '07
EasternBallard22- 23(L)Oct 26, '07
Fern CreekFern Creek42- 25(W)Nov 2, '07
MooreMoore48- 7(W)Nov 9, '07
EasternEastern27- 13(W)
Class 6A KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl
Nov 16, '07
Trinity (Louisville)Trinity (Louisville)14- 63(L)
Class 6A KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl
Looks like they could be pretty good.
I just want to say publicly on this forum how much I appreciate all the kindness that has been shown toward me during what has been a tough decision-making time.
I also wanted to take a chance to express the tru LOVE I have for the people that poured their heart and soul out for what I know was a very demanding program.
That means both players AND coaches AND boosters/parents. The best all-around staff I've ever been a part of -- without question. LOYALTY, WORK-ETHIC, PASSION FOR THE GAME, CHARACTER, and PUTTING KIDS-FIRST are all anybody needs to know as descriptors for these men. That goes for our definitely goes for our tremendously self-sacrificing booster leaders as well.
Fans/Community -- some have wondered if the "pressure applied by the community" drove me away. This has given me some good laughs...I am DEAD honest about this: 1) I came to Pikeville partly BECAUSE the people were passionate enough about the game TO criticize -- that's a GOOD by-product of something that is by no means a "problem!" and 2) the people of Pikeville -- from the Mayor to the school administrations to virtually EVERY players' parents to the media members to the HEART AND SOUL of the program (Snab!) never professed anything but 100% support of me and my "discipline-first" ways. Sure, there have been a couple of people on this board that didn't like how things were done (or, more likely, that it was ME that was hired in the first place), but the fact that they chose to be anonymous -- NEVER taking me up on several offers to come HELP the program from within rather than just criticizing from without -- always made me wonder their TRUE motives. Those that had true, heart-felt critiques of our on-the-field play are part of what goes along with choosing coaching as a profession -- and was ALWAYS taken by me to be "constructive" criticism! Nobody is a harder critic on a coach than the coach himself...any critique on here was already heard by me in my own self-critique following each game.
The student body outside the football team is one of the things I'll miss the most. That has a LOT to do with the INCREDIBLE leadership in establishing a great "school culture." Never a problem in the classroom. GREAT pep-rallies (I thought they'd died with the 50s before I came to Pikeville). Cheerleaders/pep clubbers that really CARE how their guys do on the field. And a faculty that doesn't just go to the games -- but really experience JOY when we win and GRIEF when we don't.
But above all, I can't say enough for the players that stuck it out with me. Some things have been said about "thus and so don't play because they don't like the head coach"...though I know I may not be the 'life of the party' to many, all of us on the inside know what this is "code" for. We know of about 4 or 5 that didn't like the COMMITMENT and STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR required -- on and off the field -- and found it easier to say it was a "personality" thing than what it really was. For every ONE of those though, we can also can identify TWO that dropped out initially but ended up coming back, bought in to the idea of commitment, and and made a HUGE contribution to our team's successes -- just like the "Prodigal Son" those guys were loved just as much as the ones that were there from the beginning! Everytime I read about those guys that quit, all it did was reinforce the LOVE I held for the ones that DID commit and became part of a bigger FAMILY that will always be there for them (you guys remember, I said ALWAYS).
It is with a heavy heart that I leave. There's a great opportunity to do special things where I'm going, but I know there are many things that can never be as good about where I've been. And if I am ever fortunate enough to ascend to great heights, I hope everyone here knows it is because I am standing on the shoulders of GIANTS.
Thank you,
Coach J. (C-C-C!)
CoachJ Wrote:I just want to say publicly on this forum how much I appreciate all the kindness that has been shown toward me during what has been a tough decision-making time.
I also wanted to take a chance to express the tru LOVE I have for the people that poured their heart and soul out for what I know was a very demanding program.
That means both players AND coaches AND boosters/parents. The best all-around staff I've ever been a part of -- without question. LOYALTY, WORK-ETHIC, PASSION FOR THE GAME, CHARACTER, and PUTTING KIDS-FIRST are all anybody needs to know as descriptors for these men. That goes for our definitely goes for our tremendously self-sacrificing booster leaders as well.
Fans/Community -- some have wondered if the "pressure applied by the community" drove me away. This has given me some good laughs...I am DEAD honest about this: 1) I came to Pikeville partly BECAUSE the people were passionate enough about the game TO criticize -- that's a GOOD by-product of something that is by no means a "problem!" and 2) the people of Pikeville -- from the Mayor to the school administrations to virtually EVERY players' parents to the media members to the HEART AND SOUL of the program (Snab!) never professed anything but 100% support of me and my "discipline-first" ways. Sure, there have been a couple of people on this board that didn't like how things were done (or, more likely, that it was ME that was hired in the first place), but the fact that they chose to be anonymous -- NEVER taking me up on several offers to come HELP the program from within rather than just criticizing from without -- always made me wonder their TRUE motives. Those that had true, heart-felt critiques of our on-the-field play are part of what goes along with choosing coaching as a profession -- and was ALWAYS taken by me to be "constructive" criticism! Nobody is a harder critic on a coach than the coach himself...any critique on here was already heard by me in my own self-critique following each game.
The student body outside the football team is one of the things I'll miss the most. That has a LOT to do with the INCREDIBLE leadership in establishing a great "school culture." Never a problem in the classroom. GREAT pep-rallies (I thought they'd died with the 50s before I came to Pikeville). Cheerleaders/pep clubbers that really CARE how their guys do on the field. And a faculty that doesn't just go to the games -- but really experience JOY when we win and GRIEF when we don't.
But above all, I can't say enough for the players that stuck it out with me. Some things have been said about "thus and so don't play because they don't like the head coach"...though I know I may not be the 'life of the party' to many, all of us on the inside know what this is "code" for. We know of about 4 or 5 that didn't like the COMMITMENT and STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR required -- on and off the field -- and found it easier to say it was a "personality" thing than what it really was. For every ONE of those though, we can also can identify TWO that dropped out initially but ended up coming back, bought in to the idea of commitment, and and made a HUGE contribution to our team's successes -- just like the "Prodigal Son" those guys were loved just as much as the ones that were there from the beginning! Everytime I read about those guys that quit, all it did was reinforce the LOVE I held for the ones that DID commit and became part of a bigger FAMILY that will always be there for them (you guys remember, I said ALWAYS).
It is with a heavy heart that I leave. There's a great opportunity to do special things where I'm going, but I know there are many things that can never be as good about where I've been. And if I am ever fortunate enough to ascend to great heights, I hope everyone here knows it is because I am standing on the shoulders of GIANTS.
Thank you,
Coach J. (C-C-C!)
The man has class^^^^
Good luck and best wishes in football and more importantly in life!!!
CoachJ Wrote:I just want to say publicly on this forum how much I appreciate all the kindness that has been shown toward me during what has been a tough decision-making time.
I also wanted to take a chance to express the tru LOVE I have for the people that poured their heart and soul out for what I know was a very demanding program.
That means both players AND coaches AND boosters/parents. The best all-around staff I've ever been a part of -- without question. LOYALTY, WORK-ETHIC, PASSION FOR THE GAME, CHARACTER, and PUTTING KIDS-FIRST are all anybody needs to know as descriptors for these men. That goes for our definitely goes for our tremendously self-sacrificing booster leaders as well.
Fans/Community -- some have wondered if the "pressure applied by the community" drove me away. This has given me some good laughs...I am DEAD honest about this: 1) I came to Pikeville partly BECAUSE the people were passionate enough about the game TO criticize -- that's a GOOD by-product of something that is by no means a "problem!" and 2) the people of Pikeville -- from the Mayor to the school administrations to virtually EVERY players' parents to the media members to the HEART AND SOUL of the program (Snab!) never professed anything but 100% support of me and my "discipline-first" ways. Sure, there have been a couple of people on this board that didn't like how things were done (or, more likely, that it was ME that was hired in the first place), but the fact that they chose to be anonymous -- NEVER taking me up on several offers to come HELP the program from within rather than just criticizing from without -- always made me wonder their TRUE motives. Those that had true, heart-felt critiques of our on-the-field play are part of what goes along with choosing coaching as a profession -- and was ALWAYS taken by me to be "constructive" criticism! Nobody is a harder critic on a coach than the coach himself...any critique on here was already heard by me in my own self-critique following each game.
The student body outside the football team is one of the things I'll miss the most. That has a LOT to do with the INCREDIBLE leadership in establishing a great "school culture." Never a problem in the classroom. GREAT pep-rallies (I thought they'd died with the 50s before I came to Pikeville). Cheerleaders/pep clubbers that really CARE how their guys do on the field. And a faculty that doesn't just go to the games -- but really experience JOY when we win and GRIEF when we don't.
But above all, I can't say enough for the players that stuck it out with me. Some things have been said about "thus and so don't play because they don't like the head coach"...though I know I may not be the 'life of the party' to many, all of us on the inside know what this is "code" for. We know of about 4 or 5 that didn't like the COMMITMENT and STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR required -- on and off the field -- and found it easier to say it was a "personality" thing than what it really was. For every ONE of those though, we can also can identify TWO that dropped out initially but ended up coming back, bought in to the idea of commitment, and and made a HUGE contribution to our team's successes -- just like the "Prodigal Son" those guys were loved just as much as the ones that were there from the beginning! Everytime I read about those guys that quit, all it did was reinforce the LOVE I held for the ones that DID commit and became part of a bigger FAMILY that will always be there for them (you guys remember, I said ALWAYS).
It is with a heavy heart that I leave. There's a great opportunity to do special things where I'm going, but I know there are many things that can never be as good about where I've been. And if I am ever fortunate enough to ascend to great heights, I hope everyone here knows it is because I am standing on the shoulders of GIANTS.
Thank you,
Coach J. (C-C-C!)
Very classy post Coach. I wish you luck in Louisville. In that district you might need it. I'm from Bowling Green and we have played Ballard in the past. Since the class changes we have had a little trouble scheduling games. Maybe you and Coach Wallace could work out a new series of games. I'll tell him to give you a call once you get situated. And don't forget to keep coming back to BGR. We are expanding rapidly and will be covering more and more statewide games soon.
adopted purple Wrote:Very classy post Coach. I wish you luck in Louisville. In that district you might need it. I'm from Bowling Green and we have played Ballard in the past. Since the class changes we have had a little trouble scheduling games. Maybe you and Coach Wallace could work out a new series of games. I'll tell him to give you a call once you get situated. And don't forget to keep coming back to BGR. We are expanding rapidly and will be covering more and more statewide games soon.
yea I'd love to have the oppurtunity to chat with some guys from Ballard or heck all of Louisville.
Coach J...make sure and take a little bit of that hard-hitting, hard-nosed football from Eastern Ky to Louisville with you. Combine that with all the speed and athleticism your gonna have with Ballard...and you'll be set!
Once again, best of luck...and remember...you will always be a part of the "Panther Family!"
Coach Jackson:
I want to thank for your time and dedication that you have given to our student athletes. While championships are important, you always met their personal and educational needs first. Louisville Ballard is not only getting a football coach; but a mentor, pivate tutor to those in need, and an individual who treated our sons with RESPECT on and off the field. I am confident that a person such as yourself with the willingness to sacrifice the hours upon hours of work will find true success. We regret to see you and your family leave us and our program. One wish to you... may Ballard APPRECIATE what all you have to offer!!
CoachJ Wrote:I just want to say publicly on this forum how much I appreciate all the kindness that has been shown toward me during what has been a tough decision-making time.
I also wanted to take a chance to express the tru LOVE I have for the people that poured their heart and soul out for what I know was a very demanding program.
That means both players AND coaches AND boosters/parents. The best all-around staff I've ever been a part of -- without question. LOYALTY, WORK-ETHIC, PASSION FOR THE GAME, CHARACTER, and PUTTING KIDS-FIRST are all anybody needs to know as descriptors for these men. That goes for our definitely goes for our tremendously self-sacrificing booster leaders as well.
Fans/Community -- some have wondered if the "pressure applied by the community" drove me away. This has given me some good laughs...I am DEAD honest about this: 1) I came to Pikeville partly BECAUSE the people were passionate enough about the game TO criticize -- that's a GOOD by-product of something that is by no means a "problem!" and 2) the people of Pikeville -- from the Mayor to the school administrations to virtually EVERY players' parents to the media members to the HEART AND SOUL of the program (Snab!) never professed anything but 100% support of me and my "discipline-first" ways. Sure, there have been a couple of people on this board that didn't like how things were done (or, more likely, that it was ME that was hired in the first place), but the fact that they chose to be anonymous -- NEVER taking me up on several offers to come HELP the program from within rather than just criticizing from without -- always made me wonder their TRUE motives. Those that had true, heart-felt critiques of our on-the-field play are part of what goes along with choosing coaching as a profession -- and was ALWAYS taken by me to be "constructive" criticism! Nobody is a harder critic on a coach than the coach himself...any critique on here was already heard by me in my own self-critique following each game.
The student body outside the football team is one of the things I'll miss the most. That has a LOT to do with the INCREDIBLE leadership in establishing a great "school culture." Never a problem in the classroom. GREAT pep-rallies (I thought they'd died with the 50s before I came to Pikeville). Cheerleaders/pep clubbers that really CARE how their guys do on the field. And a faculty that doesn't just go to the games -- but really experience JOY when we win and GRIEF when we don't.
But above all, I can't say enough for the players that stuck it out with me. Some things have been said about "thus and so don't play because they don't like the head coach"...though I know I may not be the 'life of the party' to many, all of us on the inside know what this is "code" for. We know of about 4 or 5 that didn't like the COMMITMENT and STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR required -- on and off the field -- and found it easier to say it was a "personality" thing than what it really was. For every ONE of those though, we can also can identify TWO that dropped out initially but ended up coming back, bought in to the idea of commitment, and and made a HUGE contribution to our team's successes -- just like the "Prodigal Son" those guys were loved just as much as the ones that were there from the beginning! Everytime I read about those guys that quit, all it did was reinforce the LOVE I held for the ones that DID commit and became part of a bigger FAMILY that will always be there for them (you guys remember, I said ALWAYS).
It is with a heavy heart that I leave. There's a great opportunity to do special things where I'm going, but I know there are many things that can never be as good about where I've been. And if I am ever fortunate enough to ascend to great heights, I hope everyone here knows it is because I am standing on the shoulders of GIANTS.
Thank you,
Coach J. (C-C-C!)
Coach J,
This post is one of the biggest reasons that I regret not being able to watch you on the field or get to know you off (graduated year before you came). Your class really shows through!!
The hard work and required dedication was something that I really enjoyed seeing return to Pikeville on the grid-iron. As you mentioned, you didn't make life easy for the players, nor did you let some words that were said on boards such as this affect the way that you coached. I believe that the hard work that you and your staff put into the program as well as the work you required out of your players, has set PHS up for a bright future. It takes a coach like yourself to form a program from the ground up and the work you put into all levels of the Pikeville Football Program shows that you were the correct hire (at least in my view).
Best of luck up in Louisville and I hope to see you knocking off the powers that be and earning the ring. You deserve it.
Congrats on the new position!
-Beef