Michael Jackson (linebacker)

Michael Jackson (born July 15, 1957 in Pasco, Washington) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker in eight NFL seasons for the Seattle Seahawks.

His personal sports resume is several pages long and his bio with the Seattle Seahawks is even longer, yet Michael Anthony Jackson has never truly gained much fame. A 1975 graduate of Pasco High School, no other Bulldog has ever enjoyed the success or accumulated the career achievements that Jackson has. A three-year/three-sport letterman, he was the team captain in both football and baseball while garnering All-State honors and receiving the Denning Award for Outstanding Athlete by the Pasco Jaycees as a senior.

At the University of Washington, Jackson earned four varsity letters and was named to their All-Centennial Football Team. He was also selected as the Inland Empire Amateur Athlete of the Year in 1977, a season in which he helped lead the Huskies to the Rose Bowl. The eyes of the nation were on him during that game as he made a vital end zone interception that helped seal Washington ’s victory over the University of Michigan.

Jackson still holds several defensive school records for the Huskies, including single season (210) and career (569) tackles. Among the several honors he received for the U of W include Sports Illustrated Player of the Week (11-12-77), Husky Team Captain (1978), All Pac-8 & Pac-10 Linebacker (1977–78) and several All-American selections.

In 1979, he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the NFL Draft, where he began an eight-year career as a starting linebacker. One of the team’s all-time defensive greats, he led the Seahawks in tackles for a number of seasons and is among the career leaders in that category. He also earned 21 game balls for his outstanding play and has received numerous other awards including team MVP, Most Improved Player and the Seattle P.I.’s Sports Star of the Year.

Jackson is also very active off the field with several charities including the March of Dimes, Special Olympics, and the United Way. He has also acted in 14 movie and television roles and was voted into the Pasco High School Hall of Fame in 1996.