Jacksonville Fl- The Jean Ribault High School Hall Of Fame has featured some of the most impactuful people the Jacksonville community has ever known. It begins with legendary coaches Bernard Wilkes and Alfred Austin. There’s also track & field star Chandra Cheeseborough, all three whom make up part of the inaugural 2018 HOF class. There’s the Class of 2019 with Kimberly Daniels, the Class of 2020 with Shante Stevens, the Class of 2021 with Shelia Seymore Pennick, and the Class of 2022 boasting Laveranues Coles and Anthony Flynn. These are just a few of the many who’ve deservingly been honored as Trojan greats since the Hall Of Fame’s inception.
Click for the full list of all Ribault Hall Of Fame Inductees
The 2023 class was honored this weekend, and the list was nothing short of “Mighty Trojan” greats. One honoree in particular, made his indeliable mark as a quarterback for Ribault. He was also a quarterback at the Historically Black College and University (HBCU), Florida A&M University (Famu). He’d later return to Jacksonville becoming a teacher, mentor, and coach to many athletes helping them become better student athletes and people.
Photo by Asia Maye-Duval Sports
I first met Coach Rod Jackson as an 8th grader at Landmark middle school in 1994. He’d recently come on to the football team coaching staff, and instantly made an impact on all the players. Jackson immedietly came in and pulled those he identified as leaders to the side. He challenged us to be something better and greater.
At the time, Jackson was the only African American football coach at Landmark, a predominately white school. His words resonated not only with the unit of leaders, but also individually with the players of color. He understood how to get the best out of us. We didn’t want to let him down, and it worked.
As a relatively new football program that had gone 1-4 the previous year, Landmark made a drastic turn during his first year on the staff. The Seahawks secured their first winning season in school history. The very next year (1995), the program would win it’s first division title. That’s no coincidence.
Said Julio Santiago, a member of the division championship Landmark football team…
“One of my fondest memories was at the time in the 7th and 8th grade, I had no idea coach was this star qb from Ribault and at FAMU… But I can specifically remember before and after practice he would be throwing the ball with coach (Christopher) Foy and I remember thinking to myself at the time, like man coach got an arm. I could see the white lines and the ball spinning so tight. Even to this day, I don’t know that I’ve seen a guy that could throw a tighter spiral than Coach Jackson!!!“- Julio Santiago
Jackson would later go on to coach at Raines High School for legendary head coach Welton Coffey. Jackson would help bring Jacksonville it’s first public school football state championship in history. Although it was bitter to play against my former coach, it was sweet indeed to see him excel at the highest levels of the sport as a coach. He always reminds me of how Raines hung forty on Sandalwood in 1998, a year after we narrowly lost to Raines 14-7 in 1997. That’s just how compeitive Jackson is, and that competitive nature still burns within him. It’s something Jackson has always been accustomed, again it’s no coincidence.
A graduate of the Ribault Class of 1986, Rod Jackson was the first Ribault football player to be selected to the Florida Times Union Super 11. An All-Gateway Conference selection in 1985 and 1986, Jackson led Ribault to it’s first district championship and playoff appearance.
Ribault Super 11 Selections: QB Rod Jackson (1985), LB Kelvin Smith (1986), C Terrance Sapp (1987), DT Todd Chandler (1988), LB Devlin Herring (1989), LB Andre Washington (1989), LB Marcus Robinson (1991), OL-DT Jeryl Tyson (1991), OL Ronnie Johnson (1993), DL Chris Terry (1993), RB Laveranues Coles (1994-95), WR Ben Fleming (1994), RB Jermaine Roberts, (1997), DL Charles Simpson (1998), WR Silas Daniels (1999), RB Jerome Smith (2000), LB DeShaun Early (2001), QB D.J. Gillins (2013)
Justin Barney, Florida Times Union 2013
“I was still a student at Northwestern (Middle), when coach Anthony Flynn would take me to football practice at Ribault, and I was thrown in the fire”. said Jackson. Flynn is currently the girl’s basketball coach at Mandarin. Jackson was selected by new Ribault head coach Bernard Greggs to lead the offense as a 10th grader.
Rod Jackson, Ribault quarterback 1983-1985
” In the community, Ribault was known as a basketball school, but Coach Greggs brought a winning culture with him from Lee (Riverside) high school under Corky Rogers”, said Jackson. He continued, “I was blessed to be apart of it, and blessed that he intrusted me to lead his program. He put Ribault football on the map”.
After high school, Jackson would go on to play quarterback at Famu. The top collegiate recruit would have a lot of bright moments while playing for the Rattlers. In a September 12th, 1987 matchup between Georgia Southern and Famu, Jackson tossed a touchdown pass to lead the Rattlers over the Eagles 17-14 in the old Gator Bowl. In front of 17,000 spectators in his hometown of Jacksonville Florida, Jackson and the Rattlers shocked college football by upsetting the 41-point favorite Division I-AA #1 ranked Eagles.
Former Ribault Quarterback (Class Of 86') Rod Jackson at Famu 1989 vs Tuskegee @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/3J5RIS9CzX
— Andre' Ellis💬 (@andreellis55) October 2, 2023
More moments would follow. Like Jackson’s three touchdown performance against Tuskegee on national television in 1989. The performance showcased his lightning quick agility, and accuracy as a senior. The same attributes displayed in his collegiate career are the same ones that were dawned for all to see during a special time at Ribault High School.
Former Ribault Quarterback (Class Of 86') Rod Jackson on his induction into the Ribault HS Hall Of Fame! Via @amaye_ pic.twitter.com/iCinazOw7e
— Duval Sports (@DuvalSports) October 2, 2023
It was a special weekend for Jackson, as he was able to celebrate his induction with former teammates, classmates, friends, and family. His son Khadry Jackson was in attendance, a current linebacker at Georgia Southern. The senior standout caught an interception and returned it for a touchdown Satruday night against Coastal Carolina on the NFL Network. Like father like son, a fitting tribute to a man that motivated so many lives on and off the field.
