Keith Jackson (tight end)

Keith Jerome Jackson (born April 19, 1965) is a former professional American football tight end who played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1988–1991), Miami Dolphins (1992–1994), and Green Bay Packers (1995–1996).

Early years

Jackson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended Little Rock Parkview High School and garnered All-State team honors on offense (tight end) and defense (safety). He was named to the 1983 PARADE All-American Team. In 2011, PARADE named Jackson to the Top PARADE All-America High School Football Players of All Time.^[2]

College career

Jackson played for the University of Oklahoma from 1984 to 1987, where he was nicknamed "Boomer Sooner". He assisted the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record in his four seasons and a national championship in 1985. He caught a total of 62 passes for 1,407 yards, at an average of 23.7 yards per catch, and was a College Football All-America Team selection in 1986 and 1987. In the 1986 Orange Bowl, the national championship, Jackson caught a 71-yard pass from Jamelle Holieway for a touchdown, which would be the first of his team's two touchdowns in the Sooners' victory over Penn State. Jackson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001. He was later voted Offensive Player of the Century at OU. He is also a member of Omega Psi Phi.

Professional career

After being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988, Jackson recorded 81 receptions for 869 yards, and 6 touchdowns in his first season, along with seven catches for 142 yards in the Eagles' only playoff game that year, and won the NFC Rookie of the Year award. The Eagles team record of 869 receiving yards in Jackson's rookie season was broken by DeSean Jackson in 2008, who also became the first rookie since Keith Jackson to lead the team in receptions.^[3] The two are not related.

In his nine seasons, Jackson made the Pro Bowl six times (1988–1990, 1992–1993, 1996). In his final season, Jackson made 40 receptions for 505 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns, assisting the Green Bay Packers to a 13-3 record and a win in Super Bowl XXXI.

Jackson finished his career with 441 receptions for 5,283 yards and 49 touchdowns.

During his career every time he had a highlight on NFL Primetime ESPN anchor Chris Berman would make reference to his famous name by imitating the voice of sports broadcaster Keith Jackson.

After football

Jackson is currently a color commentator on radio broadcasts for the Arkansas Razorbacks. His son, Keith Jackson, Jr., played defensive line at Arkansas and was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the 2007 NFL Draft. Jackson is not related to the ABC sportscaster of the same name.

In November 2012, Jackson was named as a 2013 recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, presented each year to six distinguished former college student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the completion of their college sports careers.^[1]

Jackson is also the founder of P.A.R.K., which stands for Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids. It is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 in Little Rock. P.A.R.K. is an outreach program for inner city youths to give them a safe, controlled environment so that they can excel in education, core values, confidence, athletics, and community pride. To date, P.A.R.K. has assisted over 400 kids in earning their high school diplomas, nearly 300 enroll in college, over 200 of which are currently still in their chosen university, and over 60 P.A.R.K. kids that have gone on to graduate from college. P.A.R.K. has also seen 24 of their kids join the United States military. P.A.R.K. website: http://www.positivekids.org/index.htm

References

External links

• College Football Hall of Fame Biography
• Jackson's NFL stats
• Chicago Tribune article