Born in a boxcar, Mannie Jackson later led the Edwardsville Tigers to the first state basketball championship finals in school history and became the first African-American at the University of Illinois to earn a varsity letter. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters before becoming one of Honeywell company’s highest-ranking executives. In 1993, Jackson purchased the Harlem Globetrotters for $6 Million. He is the current owner and chairman of the Globetrotters.