Jack Jackson (American football)
Encyclopedia
Elliott Cornelius "Jack" Jackson, Jr. (born November 11, 1972) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a wide receiver
for four seasons in the National Football League
(NFL) and Arena Football League. Jackson played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Chicago Bears
of the NFL, and also the Orlando Predators
, the Carolina Cobras
and the Florida Bobcats
of the Arena Football League.
. He attended Moss Point High School
, where he played high school football
for the Moss Point Tigers.
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he was a featured wide receiver
for coach Steve Spurrier
's Florida Gators football
team from 1992 to 1994. Memorably, he had a 100-yard kick-off return for a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs
in 1993, and led the nation with fifteen receiving touchdowns in 1994. He finished his college career with 143 catches for 2,266 yards (an average of 15.8 yards per reception
) and twenty-nine touchdowns. Jackson was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 1994, and a consensus first-team All-American.
. He was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (116th pick overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft
, and he played for the Bears for two seasons.
Jackson also played two seasons for the Orlando Predators, Carolina Cobras and Florida Bobcats of the Arena Football League.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for four seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and Arena Football League. Jackson played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL, and also the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
, the Carolina Cobras
Carolina Cobras
Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Cobras, who played in the 1988 AFL season.The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League...
and the Florida Bobcats
Florida Bobcats
The Florida Bobcats are a defunct Arena Football League team. They had been previously known as the Sacramento Attack and the Miami Hooters.-Sacramento Attack :...
of the Arena Football League.
Early years
Jackson was born in Moss Point, MississippiMoss Point, Mississippi
Moss Point is a city, north of Pascagoula, in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 17,653 at the 2000 census.On August 29, 2005, Moss Point was hit by the strong east side of Hurricane Katrina, and much of Moss Point was flooded or destroyed .-Geography:Moss Point is...
. He attended Moss Point High School
Moss Point School District
The Moss Point School District is a public school district based in Moss Point, Mississippi .In addition to Moss Point, the district also serves the communities of Escatawpa and Helena.-Elementary Schools :*Charlotte Hyatt Elementary School...
, where he played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the Moss Point Tigers.
College career
Jackson received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he was a featured wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team from 1992 to 1994. Memorably, he had a 100-yard kick-off return for a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Mississippi State Bulldogs football
The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program represents Mississippi State University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State has produced 38 All-Americans, 171 All-SEC selections, and 124...
in 1993, and led the nation with fifteen receiving touchdowns in 1994. He finished his college career with 143 catches for 2,266 yards (an average of 15.8 yards per reception
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
) and twenty-nine touchdowns. Jackson was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 1994, and a consensus first-team All-American.
Professional career
After his junior college season, Jackson decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL DraftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. He was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round (116th pick overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, and he played for the Bears for two seasons.
Jackson also played two seasons for the Orlando Predators, Carolina Cobras and Florida Bobcats of the Arena Football League.
See also
- 1994 College Football All-America Team1994 College Football All-America TeamThe 1994 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, United Press International, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Scripps-Howard, The Sporting News and Football News.The...
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- List of Chicago Bears players
- List of Florida Gators football players