Maroon & White: My Story of Bluefield Beavers Football

Donald K. Donnie Jackson grew up during some of the most impactful years of the Twentieth Century. News of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, the Cold War, and the race to the moon filled the headlines. However, in his small corner of the world, what mattered most to Donnie and many who lived in that corner of the world with him was the success of the Bluefield High School Beavers football program. When the Beavers won their second state title in 1962, Donnie’s dad took him to the game at Laidley Field in Charleston, West Virginia, even though he was only four years old. After that season, he did not miss a Beaver home football game for the next thirteen years. He played in many of them.

This is the memoir of Donnie Jackson. The story is seen through the eyes of a young player determined to make a difference for his team. It takes the reader through the ups and downs Donnie experienced on the road to eventually fulfilling his dream and gives the reader far-reaching insight about unrepeatable days in a golden time for playing, coaching, and living the Beaver life.