Local football fans mourn passing of former Lanier star Jackson

Fans remember Tarvaris Jackson, who spent 15 years in the NFL after leading Sidney Lanier HIgh School and Alabama State to successful seasons.

By TIM GAYLE

Tarvaris Jackson, a former NFL starter who led Sidney Lanier and Alabama State to memorable seasons, died Sunday night in a one-vehicle automobile accident in Pike Road. He was 36. 

Jackson, just beginning to develop into his post-playing career as a coach at Tennessee State, left behind stunned legions of coaches, teammates and fans after his untimely passing. 

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Jackson family in this time of bereavement,” Tennessee State coach Rod Reed said. “We are devastated. He was an awesome young man and he will be missed by our players, our staff and the TSU family.”

While Jackson had just completed his second year of coaching after serving the previous year at Alabama State, he will be remembered for his standout career at Lanier and ASU, his contributions in the National Football League and his status as a role model for younger generations when his professional career was over.

At Lanier, he led the Poets to a 9-5 season in 1999 and a 9-2 season in 2000, the only time Lanier has won nine or more games in consecutive seasons since 1977-78. He was the quarterback on the 1999 team that played Robert E. Lee in a memorable semifinal playoff loss, the last time a crowd of more than 20,000 has watched a high school game at Cramton Bowl.

Those Poets would build a lasting friendship with Jackson, forming some of his closest circle with running back Keldrick Williams, who would later team up again at ASU; with linebacker Billy Gresham, who would return to ASU as the recruiting coordinator on the 2018 staff with Jackson; and with offensive coordinator Richard Moncrief, who would enlist Jackson’s help on numerous occasions to help with his local summer camp for quarterbacks.

While Jackson was noted for his strong arm and leadership, most of the local accolades and honors during his high school career went instead to Ken Johnson, the record-setting quarterback at Robert E. Lee. Jackson would face that challenge again after signing with Arkansas as part of the same signing class that produced Matt Jones. He played in three games as a true freshman in 2001, but was redshirted after injuring his shoulder. In 2002, he played in eight games as a backup to Jones, then elected to transfer to Alabama State.

Former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette he learned of Jackson’s passing early on Monday morning “and I’ve just been sick to my stomach ever since. Tarvaris was one of the best living rooms I’ve ever been in (as a recruiter). His mom was absolutely perfect. Tarvaris was so easy going, just a class, class guy. I just can’t believe it. At age 36. That’s what is so upsetting. This guy was just getting into coaching and I know he’d be outstanding at helping young quarterbacks.”

At Alabama State, he posted three consecutive winning seasons as the starting quarterback, a feat that has only been accomplished once (Daniel Duhart) since his departure. He is the only quarterback in school history to lead the Hornets to back-to-back appearances in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, winning a conference title as a junior in 2004.  

“I never had any bad feelings about Arkansas,” he told the Democrat-Gazette in a 2006 interview. “I just wanted to be somewhere I could play a lot. I started for three years at Alabama State, won a conference championship and made a lot of good friends. I feel like everything happens for a reason and it was just meant for me to be at Alabama State.”

He was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, the fifth highest selection ever for an ASU player and at the time the highest since linebacker Eddie Robinson was selected by the Oilers in 1992. He played 10 NFL seasons, primarily with the Vikings and Seahawks. He started 34 NFL games and played in 25 others, most notably as the starter in Minnesota in 2007 and Seattle in 2011.

“The entire Vikings family is saddened by the news of Tarvaris Jackson being taken from us too soon,” the Vikings said in a statement. “One of Tarvaris' greatest attributes was his positive outlook and approach. He genuinely cared about others, was a good friend and will be missed by family, teammates and Vikings fans everywhere. We send out deepest condolences to his family.”

Former Vikings coach Brad Childress, who coached Jackson, called the Montgomery native a “great young man and great competitor, but an even better teammate.”

He started 12 games in 2007, compiling an 8-4 mark in those games, and five more in 2008, including the final three games of 2008 when he helped the Vikings earn a wild card berth in the playoffs. Eight months later, as he was fighting off Sage Rosenfels and John David Booty for the starting job, the Vikings signed three-time NFL most valuable player Brett Favre.

“My time with the Vikings was very special because the team embraced and welcomed me as one of their own,” Favre said. “Tarvaris could have been anything but welcoming, but was pure class and as good a teammate as any I’ve played with. Proud to call him friend!!”

Jackson teamed with Favre in 2009 and 2010 before going to the Seahawks as a free agent as Seattle looked to replace veteran Matt Hasselbeck. Jackson would serve just one year (2011) as the starter before the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson.

“The Seahawks are stunned and heartbroken to learn of the tragic passing of legend Tarvaris Jackson,” the team said in a statement. “T-Jack earned the respect of the organization and teammates with his competitiveness, toughness and professionalism. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.”

Over the course of his four seasons in Seattle, Jackson became one of the most well-respected players in the locker room, particularly after playing much of the 2011 season with a partially torn pectoral muscle. Despite the injury, Jackson threw for a career-best 3,091 yards and 14 touchdowns that season, starting 14 games. Jackson spent 2012 in Buffalo after Russell Wilson won the starting job in training camp, then returned to the Seahawks for three seasons as Wilson’s backup, including Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII winning season.

In a tweet, head coach Pete Carroll called Jackson “a beloved teammate, competitor and Seahawk. He will be deeply missed. So heartbroken by the news of his passing and sending our condolences to his family and friends. We love you forever.”

In a 2014 interview, Jackson admitted he could have stayed in Buffalo and had a better chance at individual fame, but was more satisfied with winning the Super Bowl as a backup. 

“I could have been in Buffalo and probably would have been playing, but now I’m with the Super Bowl champions,” he said. “The competitive side of me always wants to be playing, but me being a team player and the champion I am, I think it’s great to have that championship under your belt because it creates different avenues for you for the rest of your life.”

He would explore those avenues as soon as he left the professional ranks. He finished his career with the Seahawks in 2015 and became an assistant coach at Sidney Lanier in 2016, tutoring future Texas A&M signee James Foster, who would draw comparisons to Jackson throughout his high school career.

By 2018, he had joined the staff at Alabama State as an offensive quality control coach, then followed Shannon Harris, a former quarterbacks coach at ASU in 2013-16, to Tennessee State in 2019. This past year, Jackson mentored quarterback Cameron Rosendahl to one of the better seasons in school history, where his 241 completions were a school record and his 3,023 yards is the second highest total in school history.

“My heart is so heavy with hurt hearing of the passing of Coach Jackson,” said TSU athletic director Teresa Phillips. “We were blessed with him for a short time but he did make an impact with our young men in this one season at TSU. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his young family and all who knew and loved him.”

Jackson leaves behind his wife, Lakitta Jackson, and three children: Tarvaris, Takayla and Tyson.