Atlanta’s Ultimate Survivor
By Gordon Pynes

Randy Jackson was one of the most talented athletes to ever hail from Atlanta, Texas. His career led to selection as an inductee in the Atlanta Athletics Hall of Fame (HOF) class of 2020. Born in November 1948 as the sixth child among eleven children which included eight boys, his sports career was very unique. Randy’s younger brother Frank describes him as a very mature athlete as a high school freshman. Already at near six feet tall and 195 pounds Randy quickly became a star running back for the Booker T. Washington Wolverines in the mid 1960’s.

He played basketball and ran track to include throwing the shot put and discus, but it was in football where he excelled. However, at halftime of the games he grabbed a trumpet and played with the band. Adding 10 pounds by his junior year to 205 he terrorized teams’ defenses all through East Texas. Former Wolverine and Atlanta Rabbit player Lewis Lincoln remembers Jackson’s large powerful thighs and his quickness. Lincoln, several years younger, was mentored by Randy.

Opposing players began to compare Randy Jackson to the great Jim Brown who in the 1960’s was the premier runner in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns. Brown is generally considered to be the best running back of all time in the gridiron sport. Randy’s exploits certainly back up his being called the “Jim Brown” of high school football.

His statistics provided the comparison with Brown. Jackson had the ball in his hands for much of every game as he was the Wolverines punter, punt returner and also returned kickoffs. As a defensive back he ran back four interceptions for touchdowns in his 1967 senior year. Some of the numbers he put up are just fantastic for any era.

During Jackson’s junior year he scored 25 touchdowns and earned that “Jim Brown” tag. Prior to integration in Atlanta the Atlanta High School coach tried to coax Randy to move over and become a member of the Rabbits team. As full integration was still a couple of years away, he decided to stay with the Blue and Gold Wolverines and finish his senior year in 1967.

Probably the last great Wolverine athlete prior to the school’s closure by 1970, Randy finished his high school career in a spectacular fashion. His production on the football field was just incredible. His brother Frank tells me a story giving insight into how their Mother motivated Randy to score touchdowns. Early on she offered him one dollar for each time he crossed the goal line. Seems he wanted to break the bank. Randy produced 35 TD’s in the 1967 season. In a game against Linden he racked up six scores. As the teams’ punter his Coach gave him the option to run instead of punt. He produced 7 touchdowns using the option to run from punt formation. That same season Jackson took five kickoffs back all the way. Using his powerful legs and quickness he constantly punished and ran away from defenders.

Following high school Randy headed to Kansas to play for the Wichita State Shockers. The next four years would be both exciting and tragic in his life. As a college freshman in 1968 Jackson played in all ten games for the Shockers but saw limited action. The next season he was a top rusher for the team with 500 yards while averaging six yards per carry. Then came what started as a very good 1970. In the first three games of the season Randy was off to a great start, rushing 57 times for 225 yards.

Next came a trip to play Utah State in Logan, Utah. Two planes carried the team, coaches, administrators and some fans. There was a midday stop in Denver to refuel. One plane proceeded to Logan but the pilot of the other decided to give passengers a close look at the Rockies west of Denver. The large aircraft was overloaded by several tons. Flying low in a canyon the pilot was unable to pull up and the plane crashed at an elevation over ten thousand feet. The October 2, 1970 crash killed 31 to include 14 players. Randy Jackson was among eight who survived. Though not badly injured physically, the trauma ended the season for him.

Jackson came back to play out his senior season in 1971. The team had lost some outstanding players in the crash and most of the offensive line was composed of young players. Randy carried the team that season, rushing for 820 yards for the second highest total in program history. His performance earned him All Missouri Valley Conference honors.

The National Football league beckoned in 1972 and Jackson was taken by the Buffalo Bills. There he found himself as the backup to the famous O.J. Simpson. He moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1974 and the next season found him with the San Francisco 49ers. Sustaining a knee injury, he retired and returned to Wichita to become a middle school coach.

As a teacher/coach in Wichita for over 30 years Randy touched lots of young lives. He died in 2010 and was honored by Wichita State University with a scholarship in his name. Randy Jackson was a tough and great football player. Even more a revered coach, husband and the father of two daughters, Amanda and Sesily. Atlanta honors a native son who truly was an Ultimate Survivor and deserving to be in the HOF.