Rickey Jackson
Football · Hometown: Pahokee, FL
- High school
- Pahokee High School
- College
- University of Pittsburgh
- Pro team(s)
- New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame
Rickey Anderson Jackson was born on March 20, 1958, in Pahokee, Florida, and grew up in the impoverished agricultural community on the western shore of Lake Okeechobee known as "The Muck" — a region whose extraordinary concentration of NFL talent relative to its tiny population is one of the most remarkable stories in American sports. He attended Pahokee High School and went on to the University of Pittsburgh, where he was part of the nationally ranked Panther defenses of the late 1970s. The New Orleans Saints selected him in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and Jackson played 15 seasons — 13 with the Saints — as one of the most feared pass rushers and all-around linebackers of his era. He was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player in Saints franchise history. His combination of speed, strength, and technical refinement at the linebacker position made him a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen and quarterbacks throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 on his first ballot. Born and raised in Pahokee, Florida.