Ed Jackson begins his 10th year as a member of the Athletics Administration Department, recently being moved to the Assistant A.D. for Student Development, Diversity and Inclusion in the summer of 2020. He is beginning his 28th season as a part of the LA Tech staff.Â
Jackson, who also works with the character education program for the Louisiana Tech athletics department, has been actively involved as the counselor and sponsor for the university's Fellowship of Christian Athletes and his current role enables him to continue to mold the lives of Tech student-athletes.
Jackson played collegiately for Louisiana Tech in the early 1980s, but he never dreamed that more than 35 years later he would still be a part of the Bulldog program.
He instills the same life lessons he learned as a player at Tech that helped him achieve so many years of success as a player, coach, husband, father and man of strong faith.
During his playing days at Tech, Jackson earned All-Southland Conference honors and first team All-Louisiana honors and was a member of the 1977 and 1978 Independence Bowl teams.
Jackson played professionally in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, in the USFL for the Tampa Bay Bandits and Orlando Renegades and in the CFL for the Toronto Argonauts.
After his professional playing career ended in 1985, Jackson began his coaching career at Hinds Community College where he served as the defensive line coach from 1987 to 1991 and the defensive coordinator in 1992. During those six years, Jackson coached eventual NFL stars in Leon Lett, Marvin Washington, John Copeland, Pervis Hunt, Grady Jackson and Gary Walker.
Jackson returned to his alma mater in 1993 when he was hired by Joe Raymond Peace as the defensive ends coach. After four years at that position, Jackson was promoted prior to the 1997 season to assistant head coach by Bulldog head coach Gary Crowton while also moving to the Tech linebackers.
The father of seven returned to the Bulldog defensive line in 2000 where he spent seven years.
During his 16 seasons as a coach at LA Tech, Jackson helped lead the Bulldog football program into the 21st century, including a trip into the Associated Press Top 25 in 1999 and a Western Athletic Conference championship title and subsequent bowl berth in 2001.
Jackson was also a finalist for the 1999 American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award.
He earned his bachelor's degree in education from Tech in 1983, and his master's in education administration from Mississippi College in 1989.
Jackson and his wife, Sheila, have six daughters and a son: Ashley, Adrianna, Andrea, Aisha, Alexis, Charlea and Nick.
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