 Jackson with the Buffalo Bills in 2014 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 22 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1981-02-20)February 20, 1981 (age 44) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Lamar (Arlington, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Coe (1999–2002) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2003: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Frederick George Jackson[1] (born February 20, 1981) is an American former professionalfootballrunning back who played in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theCoe Kohawks. After going undrafted in 2003 and playing twoindoor football seasons and later inNFL Europe, Jackson spent nine seasons with theBuffalo Bills, becoming their third all-time leading rusher. In the 2015 season, he was the oldest active running back in the NFL.[2]
Jackson attendedLamar High School inArlington, Texas, where he played football. Although he was a member of the powerful Lamar Vikings teams of the late 1990s, he never started a game in his two years on the varsity team because he was considered too small (5 ft 8 in, 160 pounds) and too slow. He began his senior year as a third-stringrunning back, and only after a knee injury to starter Justin Faust (headed toStanford), was he elevated to second-string behind Tommicus Walker (headed toTCU).[3][4]
Also a standout sprinter, Jackson was a state-qualifier in the 100 meters and recorded a time of 21.78 seconds as a member of the Lamar4 × 100 m relay squad, breaking the previous record.[5]
During his senior year, 14 of his teammates signed letters of intent to playcollege football, but he did not receive any offers. Instead, Wayne Phillips, hisNichols Junior High School football coach, arranged for him and his brother to enroll intoCoe College, aDivision III school that does not offer athletic scholarships.[6][7]
At Coe College, Jackson was named to fourAll-American teams in 2002, rushing for 2,702 yards and 29touchdowns. He was a two-timeIowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP for the Kohawks. He was also the MVP of the 2003Stars Bowl.[8] He graduated in 2003 with a degree insociology.[9]
After trying out for theChicago Bears,Denver Broncos andGreen Bay Packers, he went on to play indoor football for theSioux City Bandits.[10][11] Jackson played two seasons for the Bandits in theNational Indoor Football League (2004) andUnited Indoor Football (2005). He was named the 2005 UIF co-MVP in 2005; in 18 games he ran for 1,770 yards and scored 53 touchdowns (40 rushing, 11 pass receiving and 2 on kick returns). During this time, he also worked as a youth counselor at Boys & Girls Home Family Services to make ends meet. His jersey number was retired by the Bandits in 2008.[citation needed]
While with the Bandits in 2004, Jackson's childhood home inArlington, Texas, was torn down to make way forCowboys Stadium, which replacedTexas Stadium as the home of theDallas Cowboys in 2009. Jackson played in his former neighborhood on November 13, 2011, when the Bills faced the Cowboys.[12]
Jackson played inNFL Europa for theRhein Fire in 2006, leading the team with 731 rushing yards.[13][14]
Jackson was invited to training camp with theBuffalo Bills in2006 by Bills general managerMarv Levy, a Coe College alumnus himself.[15] He made his first careerstart against theWashington Redskins in 2007, rushing for 82 yards while catching four passes for 69 yards in a Bills victory.[16] He became the firstDivision IIIrunning back to start an NFL game since December 24, 2000, when formerFerrum College running backChris Warren started for thePhiladelphia Eagles against theCincinnati Bengals.[17]
In a2007 victory over theMiami Dolphins, Jackson rushed for 115 yards with a long of 27 yards to top the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his NFL career.[18] TeammateMarshawn Lynch rushed for 107 yards, marking the first time theBuffalo Bills had two players rush for 100-plus yards in the same game since1996 whenThurman Thomas andDarick Holmes accomplished the feat.[citation needed] In the 2007 season, Jackson appeared in eight games and finished with 58 carries for 300 rushing yards and had 22 receptions for 190 receiving yards.[19]
In Week 17 of the 2008 season, Jackson had 27 carries for 136 rushing yards against theNew England Patriots.[20] In the 2008 season, Jackson had 130 carries for 571 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 37 receptions for 317 receiving yards in 16 games and three starts.[21]
Before the2009 season, Jackson signed a four-year contract extension to stay with the Bills.[22]
In Week 2 of the 2009 season, Jackson had 28 carries for 163 rushing yards in the 33–20 victory over theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[23] At the end of the 2009 season, after winning the starting job from Lynch in Week 12, Jackson eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 1,062 yards and two touchdowns. He also set a career-high in catches with 46 for 371 yards and two more scores and also completed a 27-yard touchdown pass.[24] Jackson also had 1,014 kickoff return yards making him the first player in NFL history to compile 1,000 rushing and 1,000 kickoff return yards.[25] The 2,516 combined yards are the fifth highest all-purpose yards total in NFL history.[26][27] In Week 17 of the 2009 season, versus theIndianapolis Colts, Jackson had a career day with 212 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown.[28]
In the 2010 season, Jackson finished with 222 carries for 927 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 31 receptions for 215 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts.[29]
In2011, Jackson was having his best season to date, as the team's undisputed starting running back. Jackson had six 100-yard rushing games in the first ten weeks.[30] During a Week 11 loss toMiami, however, Jackson suffered a fracturedfibula.[31] Jackson was placed on injured reserve later in the week and missed the remainder of the season. The Bills had already been on a three-game losing streak when Jackson was injured, but lost all games but one for the rest of the 2011 season without Jackson.[32] For his strong performance he was named to the USA Today All Joe Team as he was no longer Pro Bowl eligible.[33] He was ranked 83rd by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2012.[34]
On May 5, 2012, Jackson signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him with the Bills until 2015.[35] He finished the 2012 season with 115 carries for437 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with 34 receptions for 217 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in ten games and eight starts.[36]
Jackson had arguably the best season of his career in 2013. Despite playing as the backup toC. J. Spiller most weeks, Jackson accumulated 1,283 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 total touchdowns.[37][38]
On October 19, 2014, Jackson suffered a groin injury against theMinnesota Vikings.[39] He returned on November 9 against theKansas City Chiefs. Jackson finished the 2014 season with141 carries for 525 rushing yards to go along with 66 receptions for 501 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 14 games and nine starts.[40]
On August 31, 2015, the Bills released Jackson as part of roster cuts.[41] He finished third on the Bills' all-time rushing list.[42]
On September 7, 2015, Jackson signed a one-year deal with theSeattle Seahawks,[43] reuniting him with former Buffalo teammateMarshawn Lynch.[44][45] He finished the 2015 season with 26 carries for 100 rushing yards and 32 receptions for 257 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[46]
The Seahawks clinched a Wild Card berth in the playoffs, marking Jackson's first time participating in the postseason.[47] On January 10, the Seahawks beat theVikings 10–9 in theWild Card Round of the playoffs, giving Jackson his first career playoff win.[48]
After spending the 2016 season out of football, Jackson announced an attempt at a comeback by signing withThe Spring League, a league formed from the remains of the formerFall Experimental Football League, for its summer 2017 showcase.[49]
In April 2018, Jackson confirmed he was in talks with the Bills to sign a one-day contract and formally retire as a member of the team.[50] The contract was signed, and Jackson subsequently retired, on April 18, 2018.[51]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2007 | BUF | 8 | 1 | 58 | 300 | 5.2 | 27 | 0 | 22 | 190 | 8.6 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | BUF | 16 | 3 | 130 | 571 | 4.4 | 32 | 3 | 37 | 317 | 8.6 | 65 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2009 | BUF | 16 | 11 | 237 | 1,062 | 4.5 | 43 | 2 | 46 | 371 | 8.1 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2010 | BUF | 16 | 13 | 222 | 927 | 4.2 | 39 | 5 | 31 | 215 | 6.9 | 65T | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| 2011 | BUF | 10 | 10 | 170 | 934 | 5.5 | 80 | 6 | 39 | 442 | 11.3 | 49 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2012 | BUF | 10 | 8 | 115 | 437 | 3.8 | 15 | 3 | 34 | 217 | 6.4 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 2013 | BUF | 16 | 6 | 207 | 896 | 4.3 | 59 | 9 | 47 | 387 | 8.2 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | BUF | 14 | 9 | 141 | 525 | 3.7 | 38 | 2 | 66 | 501 | 7.6 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2015 | SEA | 16 | 0 | 26 | 100 | 3.8 | 16 | 0 | 32 | 257 | 8.0 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Career | 122 | 61 | 1,305 | 5,746 | 4.4 | 80 | 30 | 354 | 2,897 | 8.2 | 65 | 9 | 26 | 12 | |
Jackson is married and has four children.[52]
On October 20, 2015, it was initially reported that a drag race just outside the Seahawks' training facility between Fred Jackson and teammateMarshawn Lynch ended with Jackson crashing hisCorvette, first into a planter box and then a stop sign.[53] However police later denied the report and said he was simply driving too fast.[54]
Jackson had his own television program airing onWBBZ-TV.The Fred Jackson Show aired Mondays during football season. It debuted on September 10, 2012, and ran for Jackson's last three years in Buffalo.[55] In 2018, Jackson signed withMSG Western New York to be an analyst for its weekly postgame series,Bills Tonight.[56]
Jackson is now a part ofSpectrum News One's post game show, Buffalo End Zone.[57]
Along with fellow Bills alumniBrian Moorman andTerrence McGee and other prominent Buffalo figures, Jackson operates SEAR, a high-end steakhouse located withinThe Avant in downtown Buffalo.[58][59][60] The restaurant closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[61]
In October 2018, Jackson teamed up with Codes Socks LLC to create a Signature Series Sock that will benefit a local charity called UB HEALS.[62]
Jackson had time to reminisce Wednesday upon returning to Buffalo to sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Bills. The formality brought closure to a nine-season NFL playing career Jackson built on both a powerful running style and sheer perseverance.
Media related toFred Jackson (American football) at Wikimedia Commons