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This article is about the football player. For the cricketer, see Kenny Jackson (cricketer). For the businessman, see Kenneth A. Jackson.
Kenny Jackson
No. 81, 84, 86, 83
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1962-02-15) February 15, 1962 (age 62)
Neptune, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school: South River (NJ)
College: Penn State
NFL draft: 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:126
Receiving yards:2,170
Receiving touchdowns:11
Player stats at NFL.com ·  PFR

Kenny Jackson (born February 15, 1962) is an American former football player. He played wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Oilers and was twice named a collegiate All-American at Penn State University (1982 and 1983).

Early life

Jackson grew up in South River, New Jersey and was a highly recruited athlete out of South River High School, where he excelled in football, basketball, baseball, and track. [1] 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. [2]

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 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.

  • 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. [3]
  • 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. [4] He enjoyed an eight-year career in the NFL with the Eagles and Houston Oilers. He finished his professional career with 126 receptions for 2,170 yards and 11 touchdowns.

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. [5]

Coaching

Jackson served on the coaching 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, Freddie Scott, and Joe Jurevicius. He served as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2001 to 2003.

Broadcasting

Jackson is a sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network. [6]

Personal life

Jackson and former NFL running back Blair Thomas are partners in a chain of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-area sports bars called KoKoMos. [7]

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's Operation Gridiron: Huddle with the Troops, a flag football tournament for service personnel serving overseas. [8]

References

  1. ^ Staff. "These Nittany Lions Get His Vote; Kenny Jackson Says The Coach And Offense Look Better Than They Did In The National Title Year Of 1982.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 11, 1994. Accessed March 20, 2011. "Jackson, from South River, NJ, was State's first all-America receiver and remains the university's career leader in receiving yards (2006) and touchdowns (25)."
  2. ^ "Nittany Lion Football All-Americans". The Pennsylvania State University Department of Athletic Communications. Retrieved 2008-03-31.[ permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Kenny Jackson College Stats".
  4. ^ "1984 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  5. ^ Staff. "Kenny's Korner", Orlando Sentinel, October 3, 1988. Accessed January 21, 2018. "The Philadelphia Eagle who thought he wanted to run a corner deli in Camden, N.J., is back on the team. Eagles spokesman Jim Gallagher confirmed Saturday that former wide receiver Kenny Jackson has signed a 1-year contract with the team. He retired after the 1987 season to run a deli called Kenny's Korner."
  6. ^ "Former Nittany Lion Standout Brady Joins Big Ten Network Pre-Game Show". Penn State Department of Sports Information. 2009-09-10.
  7. ^ "On the Rail Dan Steinberg loses his shirt at the Preakness". The Washington Post. 2007-05-20. pp. E12. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  8. ^ "Former Penn State football players on USO tour to Middle East". The Pennsylvania State University Department of Public Information. 2008-03-31. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-03-31.

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