Roy Lee Jackson recalls fondly his days playing baseball for Tuskegee University. He’s just surprised that others remember, too.

The Opelika native had a chance to play for the Houston Astros out of high school but elected to play collegiately at Tuskegee. He earned all-SIAC honors in 1973, 1974 and 1975 at both pitcher and designated hitter, hitting .404 as a sophomore in 1974 and a team-leading .431 with a .718 slugging percentage as a junior in 1975.

On the mound at Tuskegee, he posted a 22-9 career record with 384 strikeouts, 64 walks and a 1.51 ERA in 251 innings. In 1975, he struck out 160 batters to lead all Division II pitchers. He signed a free-agent contract with the New York Mets following the 1975 season and played minor-league ball until he was called up late in the 1977 season.

Jackson would go on to pitch parts of 10 season in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins. He spent 1986 with the Twins, finishing a 10-year career with a 28-34 record and 3.77 ERA with 351 strikeouts in 559 innings pitched.

These days, Jackson runs the New Creation Service Center ministry in Auburn. Which is why he was surprised when he got a call from the National College Baseball Hall of Fame letting him know he was selected as a member of the 2020 class.

Former Tuskegee player Roy Lee Jackson talks about being inducted into College Baseball Hall of Fame from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.