Steven Jackson facts for kids
Jackson with the St. Louis Rams in 2012
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| No. 39 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 22, 1983 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Eldorado (Las Vegas) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Oregon State (2001–2003) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24 | ||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Steven Rashad Jackson, born on July 22, 1983, is a former American professional football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He spent most of his career with the St. Louis Rams. Many people, including Sports Illustrated, consider him one of the best running backs ever.
Jackson played college football for the Oregon State Beavers. The Rams picked him in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played for the Rams for nine seasons. Later, he joined the Atlanta Falcons from 2013 to 2014. In 2015, he played for the New England Patriots. During his time with the Rams, he was chosen for three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. He is also the Rams' all-time leading rusher.
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Early Life and High School Football
Steven Jackson was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. He played running back for Eldorado High School. He was a star player, rushing for 6,396 yards and scoring 81 touchdowns. His team, the Sundevils, reached the state final in his senior year.
Jackson was also a talented track and field athlete. He ran the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds as a junior. His success helped college football teams notice more players from the Las Vegas area. In 2011, he was honored by being inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
College Football Career
Jackson went to Oregon State University and played for the Beavers. He played for three seasons, from 2001 to 2003. In 36 games, he ran the ball 743 times for 3,625 yards. He also scored 39 touchdowns by running.
He was also good at catching the ball, with 66 catches for 680 yards and six touchdowns. His total of 4,545 all-purpose yards is the second-highest in Oregon State history. He also ranks third in school history for total points scored with 276. In his second year, Jackson led his conference in rushing yards. He gained 1,690 yards, averaging 130 yards per game.
As a junior, he was one of the top rushers in the nation. He carried the ball 350 times for 1,545 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also caught 44 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns.
Becoming a Professional Player
Before the NFL Draft
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) |
241 lb (109 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.55 s | 1.57 s | 2.61 s | 4.09 s | 7.03 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
16 reps | 28 |
| All values from Oregon State Pro Day, except for Wonderlic score. | ||||||||||||
Before the 2004 NFL Draft, Steven Jackson had a knee injury. This injury kept him from doing drills at the NFL Combine. He had surgery on his knee after his college season. He needed another surgery after his first year in the NFL to fully recover. Jackson later said that his knee finally felt right after the second surgery.
Playing for the St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams picked Steven Jackson as the 24th player overall in the 2004 NFL draft. He was the first running back chosen that year. The Rams made trades to move up and select him. On July 30, 2004, Jackson signed a five-year contract with the Rams.
Rookie Season (2004)
In his first NFL season, Jackson was a backup player behind Marshall Faulk. He played his first game against the Arizona Cardinals. He ran for 50 yards in that game. In Week 4, he scored his first professional touchdown. He finished his rookie year with 673 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Becoming a Starter (2005)
In 2005, Jackson became the Rams' main running back. In Week 4, he scored his first touchdown by catching a pass. He had his first game with two rushing touchdowns in Week 7. In Week 8, he ran for 179 yards. For the season, he gained 1,046 rushing yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns. He also caught 43 passes for 320 yards.
Breakout Year (2006)
The 2006 season was a huge year for Jackson. He started strong with 121 rushing yards in the first game. He scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games. In Week 16, he had an amazing game with 150 rushing yards, 102 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
He finished the year with 1,528 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 90 passes for 806 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He led the entire NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2,334. Because of his great performance, Jackson was chosen for his first Pro Bowl.
Later Years with the Rams (2007-2012)
In 2007, Jackson continued to be a key player for the Rams. He rushed for over 1,000 yards again, finishing with 1,002. Before the 2008 season, Jackson signed a new contract. This deal made him one of the highest-paid running backs in the NFL at the time. In 2008, he had 1,042 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
In 2009, Jackson had another fantastic season. He rushed for 1,416 yards and was named to his second Pro Bowl. In 2010, he passed Eric Dickerson to become the Rams' all-time leading rusher. He also reached 10,000 career yards from scrimmage. He earned his third Pro Bowl nomination that year.
Jackson continued his streak of 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, he became only the sixth running back in NFL history to have eight straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. After the 2012 season, Jackson decided to leave the Rams to find a team that was a strong contender for a championship.
Time with the Atlanta Falcons
On March 14, 2013, Jackson signed a three-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. In 2013, he did not reach 1,000 rushing yards, which was the first time since his rookie season. He finished with 543 rushing yards. He did have two games where he scored two rushing touchdowns. In 2014, his rushing yards improved to 707. The Falcons released him on February 26, 2015.
Playing for the New England Patriots
On December 21, 2015, Jackson signed with the New England Patriots. He scored his first touchdown with the Patriots in January 2016. He also scored his first career playoff touchdown in the AFC Championship game. This game, a loss to the Denver Broncos, turned out to be his last professional game.
Retirement from Football
On July 29, 2019, Steven Jackson officially retired from professional football. He signed a special one-day contract with the Los Angeles Rams (formerly the St. Louis Rams) to retire as a member of the team he played for the longest. In 2024, Jackson was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.
Steven Jackson's Records
Steven Jackson holds several impressive records:
- He has the most career rushing yards for the Rams (10,138 yards).
- He is the only Rams player to have 150 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game.
- He is tied with Emmitt Smith for the most consecutive seasons (11) with 4 or more rushing touchdowns.
- He has the most consecutive seasons (11) with a run of 40 yards or more.
- He is the only player with 1,500 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards in a single season (2006).
Personal Life
Steven Jackson wore the jersey number 39 during his career. He chose this number because it represents the 39 books in the Old Testament of the Bible.
