How an overlooked Division III player became an NFL legend
In short: In 2003, he went undrafted, playing in indoor leagues and working as a youth counselor to survive. Yet, this overlooked running back would eventually rewrite the Buffalo Bills' record books, proving that size and pedigree are no match for pure persistence.
Fred Jackson’s path to the NFL was anything but linear. During his time at Lamar High School in Texas, he was often sidelined by scouts who deemed him too small—standing only 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 160 pounds—and too slow. Even as a senior, he lacked the college offers enjoyed by his teammates. Instead, he enrolled at Coe College, a Division III school that provided no athletic scholarships. His high school years were marked by a sudden promotion to the second string only after a teammate's knee injury. He also demonstrated impressive speed as a state-qualifying sprinter in the 100 meters.
Jackson used his time at Coe to prove his critics wrong, earning four All-American honors in 2002 and leading the Kohawks with 2,702 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. After stints in NFL Europe and the indoor football leagues with the Sioux City Bandits, he finally signed with the Buffalo Bills in January 2006. His rise was unprecedented; no Division III ball carrier had opened an NFL contest since Chris Warren in late 2000. Before reaching Buffalo, he earned a co-MVP title in the United Football League during 2005. He even worked as a counselor for a youth family services organization to support himself.
His 2009 season remains a landmark achievement. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to record both 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 kickoff return yards in a single season, totaling 2,516 all-purpose yards. By the time he retired with a one-day contract in 2018, he had cemented his legacy as the Bills' third all-time leading rusher, completing a journey from an unrecruited high schooler to an NFL icon. That historic 2009 campaign also saw him reach a career-high of 46 receptions. His massive yardage total ranked fifth all-time for all-purpose yards in the league.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Fred Jackson (running back)
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