At 6-9 (2.05) and 240 lbs. (109 kg.), Luke Jackson was one of the strongest forwards to ever play basketball. He won a gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games and played collegiate basketball at little known Pan American University and from there was the first round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1964. Jackson had an eight-year career in the NBA, all with Philadelphia. In his first year in the league he made the NBA All-Rookie team and later played in two NBA All-Star games.
Jackson was never mentioned as the greatest forward in the league, but he had a job to do and did it to perfection. He was an outstanding defensive player and strong rebounder who was never asked to score a lot of points. The culmination of his role as a team player came in 1966-67 when the Philadelphia team on which he played won 68 games and lost only 13. Jackson was an indispensable cog in this machine which some people think was the greatest NBA team ever to that time. After his playing career ended, Jackson spent 25 years as parks and recreation director of Beaumont, Texas before retiring.
United States