John Jackson Jr.(II)
'Proudest dad in the world': The story behind USC radio voice John Jackson and the bond that drives father and son.
John Jackson Jr. represents the middle of a three-generation family of USC football. His father, John Jackson Sr., walked the sidelines as an assistant coach, and now the former USC wide receiver and radio analyst's son, John Jackson III, plays for the Trojans. In December of 2018, Jackson Jr. suffered a major stroke, a condition that doctors called "life or death". Since then, his recovery has been inspired by the dream of seeing his son run out of the tunnel at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
In a sense, John, a former All-Pac-10 receiver and baseball player at USC (1986-90) who also serves as the color analyst for the football team's radio broadcasts, and his eldest son John Jackson III, one of the Trojans' true freshman receivers, are both fighting. With each other in mind while they do it, too.
There's John - known by most simply as "J.J." - battling back against the stroke that's robbed him of mobility, his energy, the everyday aspects of life he'd grown accustomed to, his children's practices and games he's been so used to attending. He's fighting for progress each and every day. The reason he said he was working his butt off? "To see him (John III) run out of the (Coliseum) tunnel."
His father, John Sr., coached two Heisman Trophy winners - Charles White and Marcus Allen - as USC's running backs coach (1976-81), handled him.
John Jackson Jr. represents the middle of a three-generation family of USC football. His father, John Jackson Sr., walked the sidelines as an assistant coach, and now the former USC wide receiver and radio analyst's son, John Jackson III, plays for the Trojans. In December of 2018, Jackson Jr. suffered a major stroke, a condition that doctors called "life or death". Since then, his recovery has been inspired by the dream of seeing his son run out of the tunnel at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
In a sense, John, a former All-Pac-10 receiver and baseball player at USC (1986-90) who also serves as the color analyst for the football team's radio broadcasts, and his eldest son John Jackson III, one of the Trojans' true freshman receivers, are both fighting. With each other in mind while they do it, too.
There's John - known by most simply as "J.J." - battling back against the stroke that's robbed him of mobility, his energy, the everyday aspects of life he'd grown accustomed to, his children's practices and games he's been so used to attending. He's fighting for progress each and every day. The reason he said he was working his butt off? "To see him (John III) run out of the (Coliseum) tunnel."
His father, John Sr., coached two Heisman Trophy winners - Charles White and Marcus Allen - as USC's running backs coach (1976-81), handled him.