Earnest Jackson

For the American football wide receiver, see Ernest Jackson (gridiron football). For other people with similar names, see Ernest Jackson (disambiguation).

Earnest Jackson

No. 41, 43
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1959-12-18) December 18, 1959 (age 65) Needville, Texas, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lamar Consolidated (Rosenberg, Texas)
College:	Texas A&M
NFL draft:	1983: 8th round, 202nd pick
Career history
San Diego Chargers (1983–1984) Philadelphia Eagles (1985) Pittsburgh Steelers (1986–1988) Indianapolis Colts (1989)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards 2× Pro Bowl (1984,1986) Career NFL statistics Rushing yards: 4,167 Average: 3.9 Rushing touchdowns: 22 Stats at Pro Football Reference Earnest Jackson (born December 18, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). [1] [2] He was named to the Pro Bowl twice. [1] Early life and education Born in Needville, Texas, Jackson graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School before going to Texas A&M University in 1979. College football In four seasons with the Aggies Jackson had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns. He led the Southwest Conference in rushing yards per attempt in 1981 with 5.8 yards per carry. Professional career Jackson played a total of six seasons in the NFL.[ citation needed ] He was drafted in the eighth round of the 1983 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. [1] He played with the Chargers in 1983 and 1984, when he led the American Football Conference in rushing, with 1,179 yards for the year. [3] [1] He earned a starting role in the 1985 Pro Bowl. [1] [4] In 1985, he had another 1,000 yard-plus season, this time with the Philadelphia Eagles for 1,028 yards. [3] His last three NFL seasons were from 1986 to 1988 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1986, he was once again a Pro Bowler running for 910 yards and 5 touchdowns. Earnest Jackson ended his career with 4,167 yards on 1059 carries along with 22 touchdowns. He also caught the ball for 695 yards on 87 receptions and 2 touchdowns. Jackson wore number 43 in Pittsburgh, where it is now unofficially retired for Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu. NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1983 SDG 12 0 11 39 3.5 6 0 5 42 8.4 10 0 1984 SDG 16 14 296 1,179 4.0 32 8 39 222 5.7 21 1 1985 PHI 16 11 282 1,028 3.6 59 5 10 126 12.6 25 1 1986 PIT 13 13 216 910 4.2 31 5 17 169 9.9 28 0 1987 PIT 12 9 180 696 3.9 39 1 7 52 7.4 23 0 1988 PIT 12 6 74 315 4.3 29 3 9 84 9.3 24 0 81 53 1,059 4,167 3.9 59 22 87 695 8.0 28 2 References "Earnest Jackson—RB 43". Pittsburgh Steelers 1987 Media Guide. August 1987. pp. 32–33. Eckel, Mark (July 26, 1986). "Jackson wants to prove his value as a top rusher". The Times. Trenton, New Jersey. Retrieved June 21, 2025– via Newspapers.com. Weisberger, Jed (December 12, 1986). "Earnest's importance appreciated". The Times. Trenton, New Jersey. Retrieved June 21, 2025. "GAME SUMMARY" (PDF). Library Pro Football Hall of Fame. National Football League. January 27, 1985. Retrieved June 21, 2025. This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.