Action Jackson

Steve Virgen

The frustration set in for Chris Jackson when he left Washington

State with dreams of playing in the league, the NFL. However, these

days, Jackson frustrates defenders in the Arena Football League.

Jackson, a former Orange Coast College standout receiver, gambled

when he attempted to make football his pro career. But now the risk

is paying off.

Since playing his first year of football in 1994, Jackson has come

a long way, to say the least. He is the all-time leading receiver for

the Los Angeles Avengers, and he also leads the team in touchdowns.

This year, he’s been a big reason the Avengers have clinched a

playoff spot.

To think, these accolades resulted from what started out as a

joke.

“I mostly did it as a joke, just to go out there and pass time,”

Jackson said, explaining the reason to play football while at OCC. “I

ended up enjoying it and I was halfway decent at it.”

Jackson seemed like a natural in regard to the wide receiver

position. His talented background in basketball eased him into

becoming a prolific pass catcher. Jackson played prep hoops and was a

star at Mater Dei High. He also competed in track and field.

“What I’ve been able to bring over from basketball is the

hand-to-eye coordination, boxing out the defender and going up for

the ball, that all came very natural for me,” Jackson said.

Turns out, Jackson’s joke produced instant offense for the OCC

Pirates in 1994. He recorded 37 receptions for 743 yards (20.08 yards

per catch), catching passes from quarterback Matt Sauk, who is now a

backup quarterback for the Avengers. Sauk went on to star at Utah

State, while Jackson went on to catch passes from Ryan Leaf, the No.

2 pick of the 1998 NFL Draft, who is now with the Seattle Seahawks.

Jackson, as a senior in 1997, set the Cougars’ single-season

record for touchdown receptions with 11 and was ranked as the No. 4

receiver in the Pac-10, with 54 receptions for 1,005 yards (18.61

yards per catch). He caught five passes for 89 yards in Washington

State’s 1998 Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.

Then, frustration set in for Jackson. He couldn’t find a place on

an NFL team. He went to training camps, but never found a home.

“I’ve always had a drive and motivation to succeed in football,”

Jackson said. “I kind of lost the passion after college. It was

frustrating for me. Arena gave me a whole new start and I developed a

whole new love for football.”

Jackson’s passion also renewed this season for the Avengers. When

he first played in the AFL, Jackson started out as an ironman for the

Avengers. He has played the wide receiver-linebacker position for the

past two years. This season, Jackson moved over to the offensive

specialist spot, and with new coach Ed Hodgkiss aboard, Jackson was

headed for a big year.

However, after three games of living up to expectations, Jackson

broke his wrist and missed the next two games. He then prepared for

his comeback, and being the true showman he is, he completed a

record-breaking performance in his first game back.

Jackson broke his own team record with 13 catches. He compiled 194

yards and six touchdowns, leading the Avengers to a 74-53 victory

over the Georgia Force, in Atlanta. Despite missing the two games to

injury, Jackson leads the team in the yards-per-catch category with a

14.5 average that goes with 77 catches for 1,118 yards and 27 touchdowns. The Avengers host the Buffalo Destroyers tonight at 7:30

at the Staples Center, in their final regular-season game.

“He’s been real big for us this season,” said Coach Hodgkiss,

referring to Jackson’s importance in the Avengers’ playoff run. “The

times he doesn’t play, we struggle. We need him in there. Hopefully,

if he stays healthy, I think we can win the whole thing. If he would

have been healthy the whole year, he would have been the AFL Player

of the Year, no doubt about it.”

After the 2000 season, the Tennessee Titans signed Jackson, but he

suffered from a back injury. Now that he’s enjoyed a successful 2002

season with the Avengers, he said he’s opened to the opportunity of

playing in the NFL, but it would have to be the right situation.

Jackson, 27, lives in Los Alamitos with his wife, Michelle, and

two children, Almani, 7, and Deyton, 4. They are expecting another

boy at the end of August.