Background and career
Vincent Terrell Jackson (January 14, 1983 – February 15, 2021) was an American professional football wide receiver who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northern Colorado Bears and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft. Jackson also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl thrice and exceeded 1,000 receiving yards six times in his career. Jackson died in 2021, with the official cause of his death reported as chronic alcohol abuse. An autopsy found Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy in his brain.
Jackson attended Widefield High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a senior, he was a Rocky Mountain News All-State Honorable Mention, a first-team all-area pick, and a first-team all-conference pick. He also was a standout in basketball. A straight-A student in high school, Jackson was accepted to Columbia University, but decided to attend the University of Northern Colorado on a partial scholarship to play both basketball and football.
Jackson enrolled at the University of Northern Colorado and played for the Northern Colorado Bears football team from 2001 to 2004 UNC was one of the few colleges that recruited Jackson out of high school. One of the few true freshmen to ever play for Northern Colorado, Jackson earned All-American honors as a punt returner, scoring the first time he ever touched a ball on a punt return against Adams State College. He became Northern Colorado's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards (game & season), kick return yards, punt return yards, and receiving touchdowns. His senior season was highlighted by a 13-catch, 249-yard, three-touchdown effort against Florida Atlantic. Jackson is the all-time career record holder in receiving yards and yards per catch among various other, game, season, and career records. Jackson also started for Northern Colorado in basketball, playing for two seasons at UNC and leading the team in scoring both years.
On October 9, 2021, Jackson became the second football player at University of Northern Colorado to be honored with a Jersey retirement.
Jackson was selected in the second round (61st overall) of the 2005 NFL draft (the highest ever by a Northern Colorado graduate) by the San Diego Chargers. Jackson got off to a slow start in 2005 due to injuries. He was inactive for the first five games of the season and finally saw his first NFL action in an October 16 game against the Oakland Raiders. Jackson caught his first pass on November 6 against the New York Jets, but he would only catch two more passes for the rest of the season.
Jackson caught his first NFL touchdown on September 17, 2006, in a victory over the Tennessee Titans. In the Chargers' Christmas Eve game against the Seattle Seahawks, Jackson had a memorable touchdown catch that led the Chargers to victory. With 29 seconds left, quarterback Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass to Jackson and the Chargers ended up winning the game 20–17 and setting a franchise record for wins. Jackson ended the season strongly and finished second on the team with six touchdown catches. In a 2006 game against the Oakland Raiders, Jackson nearly made one of the most bizarre turnovers in recent NFL history. After making a 13-yard catch on fourth down, Jackson immediately got up and spun the ball forward in celebration. Because Jackson had fallen on his own and was not tackled, Raiders cornerback Fabian Washington believed it to be a fumble and leapt upon the ball. Possession was originally awarded to Oakland, but the Chargers were then flagged for an illegal forward pass and allowed to keep the ball.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
