Abraham Lincoln once said: "Whatever you are, be a good one."


Jewel Jefferson has done just that.


The native of Columbia, Miss., and longtime resident of Baton Rouge, La., has been a fan of Southern University football and basketball for so long that it's earned her the nickname "Mama Jaguar."

Now 79, Jefferson has garnered another honor from the school -- in April, she became the first non-athlete to ever be inducted into the university's Sports Hall of Fame. Other inductees this year are: former basketball standout Avery Johnson, coach of the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs; former Southern head basketball coach Ben Jobe; former football players Odie Posey, Lindsey Scott and Richard James Battle;, former track and field stars Richard Ross (high jumper) and Everett Mason (sprinter); and current head softball coach Nancy Marshall, who competed as a basketball player during her time "on the bluff."


Jefferson, who worked as a food service employee as well as special events manager for the athletic department, admits that taking care of the student-athletes was her No. 1 priority.


"Football was my favorite sport but my favorite player of all time was on the basketball team," Jefferson said. "But I took care of all the boys making sure they had everything they needed."


Recognized as one of the most outspoken and loving Jaguar cheerleaders of all time during the Hall of Fame ceremony, Jefferson was a fixture at football and basketball games for four decades. Her sister, Helen Lee, said the honor was very fitting and an excellent idea.

"She deserves it. Taking care of those players was a big part of her life," Lee said. "She followed them everywhere they went and she never missed a game. She was a regular fixture at every game."


Diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago, Jefferson's health has kept her from the stands for the last 4½ years but not away from her television or radio.


"I keep up with them the best way I can," she said.


While Jefferson loved all the players equally, there was one who especially touched her heart.


"Avery Johnson was my favorite," she admitted. "He is as nice as they come; he's a wonderful person.


"He sent for me once when he was playing and flew me out to a game," she continued.


Johnson played professional basketball for 16 years; however, the most memorable year was 1999 when he played with the San Antonio Spurs and won his first NBA championship.

While sorting through a slew of memories during her years as a Jaguar fan, Jefferson recalled a football game featuring the Jaguars and Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley quite clearly.


"I don't remember the exact date or the player but I was standing on the sideline and the running back ran into me coming off the field during a play," she laughed. "All the players huddled around and said ‘You've killed Mama Jaguar.’


"I was OK and once they checked me out I got right back up and started cheering again," Jefferson said.


Jefferson has received more than 75 plaques from Southern University from various departments and organizations as well as numerous certificates, including the keys to the cities of Baton Rouge and Baker and a host of letters of service from past governors and other federal and state officials.


"Mama" was also known as much for her cooking as she was for cheering, having supplied meals for the Scotlandville Kiwanis Club Red Beans Day, the Southern University Quarterback Club and the football team. She also once baked a birthday cake for former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali during his visit to Southern.

Lee said her sister's role as the Mother of the Jaguar Nation -- which included attending games dressed in blue and gold costumes and creating an atmosphere of fun with the cheerleaders and fans -- was important to her.


"The name ‘Mama Jaguar’ was the perfect fit for my sister," Lee said. "She treated all the players like a mother and treated all of them good and did what she could for them."