Corey Jackson

Corey Jackson (born November 6, 1978) is a former American football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) from 2003 to 2007. During his time in the NFL, Corey played for the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos. Corey officially retired from the NFL in 2008.

Currently, Corey is a Professional Speaker and Peak Performance Practitioner. Corey's career as a Professional Speaker has afforded him the opportunity to share his story of how he went from working at Walmart to becoming an NFL athlete with several television networks, including FOX, and his story has been featured in many articles and publications.

Early life
On November 6, 1978, Andrick Cora Jackson was born in Camden, South Carolina to Andrew and Juanita Jackson. He attended North Central High School in Kershaw, South Carolina where he played basketball and ran track. In 1997, Corey received an All Area MVP Award in basketball for the 1996-1997 basketball season. He was also named to the all-conference and all-defensive team.

College career
In 1998, at the age of 19, Corey quit his job at Walmart and bought a one-way Greyhound bus ticket to a place he had never heard of, Ranger, Texas. He attended Ranger College from 1998 to 2000 and received an associate degree. While at Ranger College, Corey played basketball under head coach Todd Neighbors where he averaged 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game. During the 1999-2000 basketball season, his team posted a 17-13 record.

After graduating from Ranger College in 2000, Corey earned a basketball scholarship to The University of Nevada where he received a degree in speech communications. While at The University of Nevada, Corey was voted team captain, finished sixth in the nation in rebounding, and averaged 9.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, he was on the WAC all-defensive team and earned the Alpha Male of the Year Award.

In 2003, after deciding against playing professional basketball overseas, Corey returned to the University of Nevada to continue his studies and was offered an opportunity to play football by the school's head football coach. Corey played only 12 plays of college football and posted stats of 1 blocked field goal, 1 pass break up, and 1 tackle. Although Corey was very inexperienced at football, his athletic ability caught the attention of NFL scouts.

NFL career
In 2003, Corey signed with the Cleveland Browns as a rookie free agent and participated on the practice squad. In 2004, Corey signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Browns and was added to the active roster, appearing in one game that season. The Cleveland Browns released Corey in 2005. But, shortly thereafter, he signed a contract with the Denver Broncos where he participated on the Broncos' practice squad. In 2006, he signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos. In September 2006, Corey became injured and eventually was released by the Broncos. Corey officially retired from the NFL in 2008.

Professional Speaking and Performance Practitioner Career
Prior to his official retirement from the NFL in 2008, Corey formed his own company, Corey Jackson Speaks, where he combines his speech communications degree and his experiences as a professional athlete. Corey has become the number one speaker on the subject matter of how to live a high performance lifestyle. Corey teaches individuals, companies and organizations that a lifestyle is not defined by possessions, wealth or the material things that people celebrate, but it is a way of life. Your lifestyle is composed of why you do what you do, how you do it, and how often you get it done. Corey motivates you to see that you, and only you, get to decide the type of life you will have. Corey provides free daily inspirational messages on social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter.