00:00Civil Rights Leader, Baptist minister, and former presidential candidate, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. passed away earlier today at the age
00:08of 84.
00:09It's Black History Month, and most of us know Reverend Jackson as a prominent civil rights leader.
00:14For over six decades, he was one of the most recognizable public figures in America.
00:20So in wake of Jackson's passing, we're going to highlight a few things most people don't know about him.
00:26Jesse Jackson, the athlete.
00:27Number one, before he was a civil rights leader, he was chasing a different dream, a football dream.
00:34Growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, he was a standout quarterback at Sterling High School.
00:39As a star player, college recruiters came calling, and in 1959, Jackson headed to the University of Illinois on a
00:48football scholarship.
00:49But did you know he was also a multi-sport athlete as well?
00:53Well, Jackson turned down a minor league baseball contract to play football at Illinois.
00:59Number two, Jesse Jackson was a conference champion in college.
01:03After playing a season for the Fighting Illini, Jackson transferred to HBCU North Carolina A&T University.
01:10At A&T, he was known for his athleticism and strong arm, and he helped lead the Aggies to two
01:17winning seasons, including a CIAA Conference Championship back in 1964.
01:23Number three, he wasn't just a quarterback.
01:26Jesse Jackson played both sides of the football.
01:29While at A&T, he also played linebacker, and he split time at quarterback with Jets legend Cornell Gordon.
01:36Like Gordon, Jackson also had aspirations to play in the NFL at first, but while he was playing football, his
01:43political consciousness was also growing at the time.
01:46He would eventually pursue the path that led him to become the civil rights leader, politician, and racial and justice
01:53advocate we both know and will remember him as.
01:56LDF Legal Defense Fund released a statement on Jackson's passing, calling him a towering figure whose moral clarity and political
02:06acumen helped to incite change over the course of nearly seven decades.
02:11Reverend Jackson stood at the center of America's struggle to expand civil rights, challenge injustice, and build an inclusive multiracial
02:19democracy.
02:20President Trump also remembered him in a social media post, calling him a good man with lots of personality, grit,
02:28and street smarts.
02:29Rest in peace to an American legend and icon, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.
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