College of Marin

Former NFL player Honor Jackson never played football until his sophomore year of high school, and that only lasted one day—he was kicked off the team for horseplay in practice. Jackson came out for the football team again the following season, playing on the JV squad. That season, Jackson would be the only junior to play on the JV team; however, this didn’t discourage him as it allowed him to develop skills. By the end of his senior season, Jackson had matured so much as a player that he was recruited by schools such as Notre Dame, Washington State and Cal.

Unfortunately poor grades did not allow Honor to take any of his scholarship offers. Instead, Jackson opted for College of Marin, where he honed in on his studying skills and starred as a wide receiver and defensive back on the football team. After two successful seasons at COM, Jackson took a scholarship to the University of Pacific where he excelled both academically and athletically. He excelled so much on the football field that in the 1971 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the 9th round. However, his days with Cowboys did not last past training camp, as they traded him to the New England Patriots, where he for two seasons. Jackson ended his NFL career with the New York Giants in 1974. Throughout his professional career he started 13 of 32 games and intercepted five passes.

After retirement from sports, Jackson entered the management-trainee program at Long’s Drugs in 1977. By the end of his 30-year career with Long’s Jackson managed five stores throughout Northern California. After leaving Long’s in 2006, Jackson founded his own non-profit “Fence At The Top,” which works with local youth to help them achieve their dreams. He is also the president of the Northern California NFL Retired Players Association.