There has been much ballyhoo about Baker Mayfield being taken by the Cleveland Browns with the first pick of the NFL draft.
The person that will be charged with making sure that the Heisman Trophy winner is physically prepared for the NFL wars has a distinct Rockdale connection.
Rockdale alumnus Larry Jackson (RHS ‘90) was recently named as Head of Strength and Conditioning for the Browns as the powers at be try to turn professional sport’s worst franchise around.
Jackson, 45, has his work cut out for him.
After being uncerimoniuosly fired by Texas A&M head coach and friend Kevin Sumlin (himself since fired), Jackson spent the 2017 NFL season as the Los Angeles Chargers’ assistant strength and conditioning coach after gaining 19 years of experience on the collegiate coaching level.
From 2012-16, Jackson served as Texas A&M’s director of football sports performance, from managing all aspects of the strength and conditioning program for the Aggies.
During that time, Jackson also served as the program’s NFL liaison and earned Master Strength and Conditioning Coach status in 2013.
He was also named the strength and conditioning coach of the year.
A 1995 graduate of Texas A&M, Jackson returned to his alma mater after spending the first six years (1998-04) of his career as the Aggies’ assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Additionally, he spent six seasons as the University of Houston’s director of football sports performance (2006-11) and two years as the University of Oklahoma’s assistant strength and conditioning coach (2004-05).
A former defensive end at Texas A&M (1991-94), Jackson played in four bowl games and finished his career by participating in the Blue-Gray All-Star Game.
As a player for the Aggies, Texas A&M compiled a 42-2-1 regular season record and never lost a home game as a member of the Aggies’ vaunted “Wrecking Crew” defense.
In the NFL, Jackson spent time with the Denver Broncos (1995), Arizona Cardinals (1996) and Miami Dolphins (1997). He also played for the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe in 1998.
At Rockdale, Jackson was a three-sport star and still holds the school record in the long jump.
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