Fred Jackson (running back) facts for kids
Jackson with the Buffalo Bills in 2014
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | February 20, 1981 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Lamar (Arlington, Texas) |
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| College: | Coe (1999–2002) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2003 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Frederick George Jackson, born on February 20, 1981, is a former American football player. He was a running back in the NFL. Fred played college football for the Coe Kohawks. After not being chosen in the 2003 NFL Draft, he played two seasons of indoor football. He also played in NFL Europe. Jackson then spent nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He became the third all-time leading rusher for the Bills. In 2015, he was the oldest active running back in the NFL.
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Early Life and High School Football
Fred Jackson grew up in Arlington, Texas. He went to Lamar High School. Even though he played football there, he never started a game. Coaches thought he was too small and not fast enough. He was a third-string running back in his senior year. He only moved up to second-string after another player got hurt.
Fred was also a great sprinter. He qualified for the state competition in the 100 meters. He helped his relay team break a school record.
Many of his teammates got offers to play college football. But Fred did not receive any. His junior high coach helped him and his brother. They enrolled at Coe College, a smaller school that does not offer sports scholarships.
College Career Highlights
At Coe College, Fred Jackson became a star player. In 2002, he was named to four different All-American teams. He ran for 2,702 yards and scored 29 touchdowns that year.
He was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference twice. In 2003, he was the MVP of the Stars Bowl. Fred graduated in 2003 with a degree in sociology.
Professional Football Journey
After college, Fred tried out for several NFL teams. These included the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and Green Bay Packers. But he did not make any of those teams.
Playing Indoor Football
Fred then decided to play indoor football. He joined the Sioux City Bandits. He played two seasons with them, in 2004 and 2005. In 2005, he was named the co-MVP of the United Indoor Football league. He ran for 1,770 yards and scored 53 touchdowns in 18 games.
During this time, Fred also worked as a youth counselor. He helped kids at Boys & Girls Home Family Services. In 2008, the Bandits retired his jersey number. This was a big honor for him.
Interestingly, in 2004, Fred's childhood home in Arlington, Texas, was torn down. This happened to make space for the new Cowboys Stadium. Years later, in 2011, Fred played a game there. His Buffalo Bills team faced the Dallas Cowboys in his old neighborhood.
Time in NFL Europe
In 2006, Fred Jackson played in NFL Europa for the Rhein Fire. He was the team's leading rusher. He gained 731 rushing yards that season.
Becoming a Buffalo Bills Star
In 2006, the Buffalo Bills invited Fred to their training camp. The Bills' general manager, Marv Levy, had also gone to Coe College. Fred made his first start in 2007 against the Washington Redskins. He ran for 82 yards and caught four passes for 69 yards. The Bills won that game.
Fred was the first running back from a Division III college to start an NFL game since 2000. In a 2007 game against the Miami Dolphins, he ran for 115 yards. This was his first time rushing over 100 yards in an NFL game. In 2009, Fred signed a four-year contract to stay with the Bills.
In Week 2 of the 2009 season, Fred ran for 163 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished the 2009 season with over 1,000 rushing yards. He also had 1,014 kickoff return yards. This made him the first player in NFL history to have over 1,000 rushing and 1,000 kickoff return yards in one season. His total of 2,516 combined yards was one of the highest in NFL history. In Week 17, he had a career-best 212 rushing yards against the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2011, Fred was having his best season. He had six games where he rushed for over 100 yards. However, he broke his leg in a game against Miami. This injury ended his season early. Even though he was hurt, his fellow players ranked him among the top 100 players in the NFL for 2012.
Fred signed another contract extension in 2012. In 2013, he had one of his best seasons. He gained 1,283 total yards and scored 10 touchdowns. On August 31, 2015, the Bills released Fred Jackson. He finished his time with the Bills as the third all-time leading rusher for the team.
Playing for the Seattle Seahawks
On September 7, 2015, Fred Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. He joined his former Bills teammate, Marshawn Lynch, there. He played in 16 games for the Seahawks that season.
The Seahawks made it to the playoffs that year. This was Fred Jackson's first time playing in the NFL postseason. On January 10, 2016, the Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round. This gave Fred his first playoff win.
Retirement from Football
After not playing in 2016, Fred tried to make a comeback in 2017. He signed with The Spring League. In April 2018, Fred Jackson officially retired from the NFL. He signed a special one-day contract with the Buffalo Bills to retire as a member of the team.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
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| 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 | |
Life Outside of Football
Family Life
Fred Jackson is married and has four children.
Television Appearances
Fred Jackson had his own TV show called The Fred Jackson Show. It aired on WBBZ-TV during football season. The show started in 2012 and ran for three years. In 2018, he became a football analyst for MSG Western New York. He worked on their weekly post-game show, Bills Tonight. He is now part of Spectrum News One's post-game show, Buffalo End Zone.
Business Ventures
Fred Jackson also helped open a high-end steakhouse called SEAR. It was located in downtown Buffalo. He owned it with other former Bills players, Brian Moorman and Terrence McGee. The restaurant closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Charity Work
In October 2018, Fred Jackson worked with Codes Socks LLC. They created a special sock called the Signature Series Sock. Sales from these socks helped a local charity called UB HEALS.
