We have a name for the new summer-collegiate Prospect League team to be playing out of The Ballpark at Jackson beginning in 2023: the Jackson Rockabillys.
This comes after a name-the-team process that narrowed the potential names from an initial 1,000 entries down to the Jackson 5 finalists: the Hub City HubCaps, Hub City Heroes, Jackson Rockabillys, Jackson Locomotives and the Jackson Blue Suedes.
Of all the entries, the leading name that kept getting entered was the Rockabillys. The results of the WBBJ-TV online survey poll on fans’ favorites and choices closely matched the Guess the Name contest ran by the team. In fact, 2,118 (44 percent) of 4,804 submitted named “Rockabillys” as their name choice. Their poll had Hub City Heroes in second at 891 (19 percent), Jackson Blue Suedes at 692 (14 percent), Hub City HubCaps at 555 (12 percent), and in fifth, the Jackson Locomotives at 548 (11 percent).
“After much deliberation, reasoning, research, opinions, and reckoning, we decided that the name that best exemplified Jackson, and the area was a salute to the heritage of the rockabilly music,” said Rockabillys President/CEO Dennis Bastien via press release. “The name lends itself to a unique logo. We salute the era of music that made the Jackson area renowned for its sound,”
The Rockabilly era was inaugurated by Jackson’s own Carl Perkins and made famous by many artists after. Jackson is home to the International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame. The Billy Goat featured in the primary logo harkens to the Johnny Cash smirk, with the neck of the guitar being a copper bat. Other logos and designs unveiled other logos and designs that will add to the legend of the Rockabillys, incorporating the concept of several names tied to the Rockabilly era.
The Rockabillys official colors are No-Hitter Navy, Perfect Game Purple, Full Count Copper, Shutout Silver, Grand Slam Gray, and Home Plate White.
“We hope West Tennessee, Madison County, and of course, the Jackson region embrace and take pride in the Rockabilly name. Although it has been around this area for many years, this can create a memorable image and look. We hope to showcase the name over many states to make Jackson even more recognizable,” Bastien added.
“Finally! We have an identity!,” said General Manager Steve DeSalvo via press release. “We’ve been handing out temporary Play Ball Jackson business cards, been asked countless times to give out a hint of what we were leaning toward, and now, we are proud to announce our name. We felt Rockabillys best personified not only a great name, a fun logo but also allows many spin-offs from it. Now we are really ready to Play Ball Jackson.”
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