Kenny Jackson (born February 15, 1962) is an American former football player. He played wide receiver for eight seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles and
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
and was twice named a collegiate
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
South River, New Jersey
South River is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 16,008,South River High School, where he excelled in football,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
, and track. The school retired his #21 football jersey in October 1994. Jackson was inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in 1996.
Career
College
Jackson was Penn State's first All-American wide receiver. By his senior year in 1983, he held 27 school records. He still ranks second in career receiving yards among
Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...
with 2,006. He enjoyed his best season in 1982 when he hauled in 41 passes for 697 yards and seven touchdowns en route to Penn State's first
National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
.
*1980: 21 catches for 386 yards and 5 touchdowns. 4 carries for -5 yards. 13 punt returns for 80 yards. 1 kick return for 23 yards.
*1981: 19 catches for 440 yards and 6 touchdowns. 6 carries for 92 yards.
*1982: 41 catches for 697 yards and 7 touchdowns. 5 carries for 9 yards and 1 touchdown. 1 punt return for 11 yards.
*1983: 28 catches for 483 yards and 7 touchdowns. 7 carries for 78 yards and 1 touchdown. 7 punt returns for 59 yards. 2 kick returns for 22 yards.
Professional career
Jackson was the first round pick (#4 overall) of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1984 NFL Draft. He enjoyed an eight-year career in the NFL with the Eagles and
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...
. He finished his pro career with 126
reception
Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to:
Astrology
* Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...
s for 2,170 yards and 11
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
s.
Jackson announced his retirement after the 1987 season to run Kenny's Korner, a deli in Camden, New Jersey. He re-signed with the Eagles during the 1988 season.
Coaching
Jackson served on the
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
ing staff at his alma mater for eight seasons, coaching Penn State's wide receivers from 1993 to 2000. There he helped develop future NFL players
Bobby Engram
Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III (born January 7, 1973) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State.
Engram also played for ...
, Freddie Scott, and
Joe Jurevicius
Joseph Michael Jurevicius (born December 23, 1974) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State.
Jurevicius played for ...
. He served as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2001 to 2003.
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
Blair Thomas are partners in a chain of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-area sports bars called KoKoMos.
In April 2008, Jackson and seven other former NFL players traveled to the Middle East to visit with troops and coach them in the
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
's ''Operation Gridiron: Huddle with the Troops'', a
flag football
Flag football is a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down. The sport has a strong amateur following ...
tournament for service personnel serving overseas.