Frederick George Jackson (born February 20, 1981) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Coe College. After going undrafted in 2003 and playing three seasons in arena football and later NFL Europe, Jackson spent nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills, becoming their third all-time leading rusher. In the 2015 season, he was the oldest active running back in the NFL.
High school career
Jackson attended Lamar High School in Arlington, 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-string running back, and only after a knee injury to starter Justin Faust (headed to Stanford), was he elevated to second-string behind Tommicus Walker (headed to TCU).
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 Lamar 4 × 100 m relay squad, breaking the previous record.
During his senior year, 14 of his teammates signed letters of intent to play college football, but he did not receive any offers. Instead, Wayne Phillips, his Nichols Junior High School football coach, arranged for him and his brother to enroll into Coe College, a Division III school that does not offer athletic scholarships.
College career
At Coe College, Jackson was named to four All-American teams in 2002, rushing for 2,702 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was a two-time Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP for the Kohawks. He was also the MVP of the 2003 Stars Bowl. He graduated in 2003 with a degree in sociology.
Professional career
Sioux City Bandits
After trying out for the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers, he went on to play indoor football for the Sioux City Bandits. Jackson played two seasons for the Bandits in the National Indoor Football League (2004) and United 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.
While with the Bandits in 2004, Jackson's childhood home in Arlington, Texas, was torn down to make way for Cowboys Stadium, which replaced Texas Stadium as the home of the Dallas Cowboys in 2009. Jackson played in his former neighborhood on November 13, 2011, when the Bills faced the Cowboys.
Rhein Fire
Jackson played in NFL Europa for the Rhein Fire in 2006, leading the team with 731 rushing yards.
Buffalo Bills
Jackson was invited to training camp with the Buffalo Bills in 2006 by Bills general manager Marv Levy, a Coe College alumnus himself. He made his first career start against the Washington Redskins in 2007, rushing for 82 yards while catching four passes for 69 yards in a Bills victory. He became the first Division III running back to start an NFL game since December 24, 2000, when former Ferrum College running back Chris Warren started for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In a 2007 victory over the Miami 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. Teammate Marshawn Lynch rushed for 107 yards, marking the first time the Buffalo Bills had two players rush for 100-plus yards in the same game since 1996 when Thurman Thomas and Darick Holmes accomplished the feat. 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.
In Week 17 of the 2008 season, Jackson had 27 carries for 136 rushing yards against the New England Patriots. 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.
Before the 2009 season, Jackson signed a four-year contract extension to stay with the Bills.