HE GOT GAME

Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez are superstars. The former Kent State and California-Berkley basketball stars transitioned well to the professional football. They are among the elite tight ends in the NFL and one day both will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. What most fans don’t realize is that role the hardwood has played in helping make both among the best to ever play the position.

It’s a little premature to bestow those accolades on a former 6-foot-5 forward from Northern Colorado University but Vincent Jackson has certainly developed into one of the premier wide receivers in the National Football League.

For Jackson, it too all started on the hardwood.

“I wasn’t really recruited to play football,” says Vincent Jackson. “I went to a small high school and there just wasn’t a lot of interest.

In fact there were only two scholarship offers.

Two Division II programs recruited Jackson out of Widefield High south of Colorado Springs. The Colorado School of Mines and the University of Northern Colorado were his only options. UNC had seen him on tape and was intrigued, but the football season was over so they went to see him play basketball.

Jackson was dominating on the court. They had seen enough and offered him a partial scholarship.

“It is funny to think that my football career actually began on the basketball court,” says Jackson. “I grew up playing a lot of sports, but basketball was always my first love.”

Before working his craft on the playing fields at Northern Colorado, Jackson caught passes and buried jump shots in Grafenwoher, Germany.

Jackson’s father, Terrence, was in the Army and from his birth in 1983, he lived the military life. He didn’t move around much as a child but in the summer of 1990 he joined his father in Germany. He spent the next three years in Europe, traveling to Austria, Czech Republic, France and Sweden.

“It was a great experience for me,” says Jackson. “I got a chance at a young age to see the world. Playing sports always made it easier to make friends, especially basketball because you could always find a basketball court.
But overseas Jackson developed more than just a well rounded game on the court.

“My father, being in the military, gave me great discipline and structure,” Jackson says. “Growing up in that environment really taught me the importance of work ethic and dedication. It’s not enough to just have god given talent. You have to work hard in order to succeed.”

Jackson continued to star in multiple sports through middle school and high school, but he also excelled in other areas as well. He served on the student cabinet and was honor roll student through high school, graduating fourth in his class with a 4.1 GPA.

Yet despite all of his successes, only Northern Colorado was at the ready, with a partial scholarship at that. Jackson wasnt fazed;

“I was excited about the opportunity to go to Northern Colorado,” says Jackson. “I was going to play college football and that was exciting.”

Jackson had a pretty impressive freshman campaign. As a return specialist he averaged 18 yards per punt return, returning two for touchdowns. He was named UNC Freshman Athlete of the Year.

It was evident that Jackson had a bright future on the football field but what brought him the UNC was basketball and there was a future on the hardwood awaiting.

“I was playing intramural basketball,” says Jackson, I was scoring a lot of points and I guess that got some attention. It was a Sunday and I was in my dorm room when coach asked me if I wanted to come and practice with the team.”

Less than an hour later he was offered a partial scholarship.

With so much focus over the past year on football, Jackson was a bit raw as a collegiate hoopster. His athleticism got him on the roster and his work ethic quickly made him a factor.

Jackson became a two-sport athlete as a sophomore. After helping UNC to the NCAA national semifinals in football, Jackson emerged as a solid contributor on the basketball team. It was a challenge to adjust to college basketball and that was evident through his first eight games, but a quick study Jackson came on strong averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per contest over the final ten games of the season, which included a 24 point, 9 rebound-effort against nationally ranked South Dakota.

Jackson laughs at the notion of him being called a two sport ‘star’ in college. For him it was all about doing something he loved.

“I had a lot of fun that season,” he says. “I pretty much knew that football was going to be my focus but I really enjoyed my time playing basketball.”

For Jackson that time would include one more season on the court.

Jackson emerged as a legitimate NFL prospect during his junior season. He had a monster season, setting the school’s single-season touchdown record (21) and career touchdown receptions (26). He set the Bears’ single-season receiving yardage record (1,462) and the single-season all-purpose yardage record (1,949).

He then stepped off the grass and on to the court with a pretty nice encore.

With a mere 18 games of experience under his belt, Jackson emerged as the team’s best player. He led the team in both scoring (13.6) and assists (3.1) to go along with 5.6 rebounds per contest. He garnered a Division I All-Independent second-team selection (UNC made the jump to Division I).

Now that certainly sounds like a two-sport star.

Jackson’s outstanding junior season would be his final on the court. NFL teams were showing an interest and the focus now had to be solely on his future.

“I thought I had a chance to play professional football so it was the right choice but it was tough because I love the game and because it has helped me so much get to where I am today.”

The “where” is now Jackson’s fifth season in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers. Following a stellar senior season, San Diego selected Jackson in the 2nd round of the 2005 NFL Draft. His emergence as an elite NFL receiver has been five years in the making with a steady improvement each season. In 2008 he topped the 1,000 yard plateau for the first time and he followed that with 1,167 yards and 9 touchdowns this season.

“Basketball is a big part of my success,” says Jackson. “Basketball helped so much with my footwork, hand-eye coordination and quickness. It has helped greatly with my route running as a receiver and getting in and out of the breaks.”

Jackson has a ways to go before he can truly be compared to the likes of Tony Gonzalez and teammate Antonio Gates. But while he can’t match his teammate’s football accolades just yet, Jackson believes he’s a step quicker on the court.

“We play a lot of pick-up games at Antonio’s house,” says Jackson. “Most of the time we play on the same team. He’s strong and he is deceptively quick, but I could take him off the dribble.”


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