Tommy Eugene Jackson (born December 12, 1983) is a former American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL career

Atlanta Falcons

Jackson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

in 2006. In week 7 of his rookie season, Jackson was activated as starting nose guard to replace veteran Pro Bowler

Roderick Coleman Roderick Dwayne Coleman (born August 16, 1976) is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Carolina University. He was drafted by the Oakla ...

, who was out with a toe injury. In his second start, Jackson got his first sack in the NFL against the Cleveland Browns. Jackson was waived by the Falcons during final cuts on September 1, 2007.

Kansas City Chiefs

Two days after being released by Atlanta, Jackson was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the Kansas City Chiefs on September 3, 2007. Following the season, he was re-signed by the Chiefs. Jackson spent most of the 2008 season on the practice squad but did play in four games for the Chiefs in 2008, recording two tackles. He was re-signed to a future contract on December 30. He was waived on June 19, 2009. Jackson then turned down the opportunity to play for the Philadelphia Eagles.

After football

Jackson served two years (2011–2013) in the Student-Athlete Support Services Department at Auburn where he assisted student-athletes. He spent one year working as program director for the at-risk student program within the Opelika City Schools system in Opelika, Alabama, and served as a defensive line coach at

Opelika High School Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Lee County, Alabama and was originally built in 1972. Opelika High School, of the Opelika City Schools, serves students in grades 9– 12. The principal is Kelli Fischer. The school's assistant princ ...

. In 2014, Jackson became an athletics academic counselor at Kennesaw State University after most serving as a sports analyst at Fox 6 News in Birmingham, Alabama. In December 2015, Jackson from graduated Kennesaw State with an MBA and MPA. Jackson serves as an assistant professor of higher education administration at the University of West Georgia.

References

External links

West Georgia Wolves bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, T. J. 1983 births Living people American football defensive tackles Auburn Tigers football players Atlanta Falcons players Kansas City Chiefs players High school football coaches in Alabama Kennesaw State University alumni University of West Georgia faculty People from Opelika, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama