Jackson, a native of Los Angeles, was a quarterback at Dorsey High School in his hometown, where he also lettered in basketball.[5] He starred in football at Glendale (CA) Community College in 1983 and 1984, where he earned his associate degree in 1984.[6]
Jackson played quarterback at Pacific in the mid-1980s under Bob Cope.[7] As a junior, Jackson had 1,595 yards of total offense, including 502 yards rushing, second-most on the team. In his senior season, he passed for 1,455 yards and rushed for 417 yards. As a quarterback at University of the Pacific from 1985 to 1986, Jackson threw for 2,544 yards and 19 touchdowns and the Tigers went 9–14 in Jackson's two seasons. He also lettered in basketball in 1986 and earned his degree in physical education.[8]
Coaching career
College
Jackson began his coaching career in 1987 at Pacific, his alma mater. Jackson spent three years there from 1987 to 1989.[9] From 1990 to 1991, Jackson was the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Cal State Fullerton.[10] In the spring of 1991, he coached the running backs, receivers and special teams for the World League’s inaugural year champion London Monarchs.[11] Later on, he spent four years (1992–1995) at Arizona State, where he was running backs coach for the first three years (1992–1994), then he handled the Sun Devil quarterbacks in 1995.[12] He led California’s high-powered offense in 1996 as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he helped lead the Golden Bears to an Aloha Bowl berth.[13] Jackson served as University of Southern California's offensive coordinator from 1997 to 2000, helping to recruit and develop players, including quarterback Carson Palmer, with whom he was later reunited in Cincinnati and Oakland.[14][15]
From 2001 until 2002, Jackson was the Redskins' running backs coach under Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier.[16][17] In 2001, under Jackson's tutelage, running back Stephen Davis rushed for 1,432 yards, breaking the record he had set in 1999 for most rushing yards in a season by a Redskin.[18] In 2002, Davis was on pace for another 1,000-yard rushing season before suffering a season-ending injury.[19] Jackson was promoted to offensive coordinator in Washington by head coach Steve Spurrier in 2003 and handled the team's offensive play-calling, becoming the only coach to perform that duty other than Spurrier.[20]
Cincinnati Bengals
Jackson was the wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons. Under Jackson's tutelage in Cincinnati, Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh became one of the most prolific wide-receiving tandems in the NFL. In 2005, the Johnson-Houshmandzadeh tandem combined to total 175 receptions for 2,388 yards, while helping the team secure the AFC North title and a playoff berth for the first time in 15 years.[21] In 2006, Johnson (1,369 yards) and Houshmandzadeh (1,081 yards) became the first pair of Bengals to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a single season.[22] In each of Jackson's three years in Cincinnati, Johnson was named to the Pro Bowl.[23][24]
Atlanta Falcons
In 2007, after leaving Cincinnati, Jackson was an NFL offensive coordinator for the second time when he served in that capacity for the Atlanta Falcons under Bobby Petrino and interim head coach Emmitt Thomas.[25]
Baltimore Ravens
From 2008 until 2009, Jackson was Baltimore's quarterbacks coach under head coach John Harbaugh.[26] In 2008, Jackson tutored Joe Flacco, who became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games in NFL history as the Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game. He helped the Ravens advance to the postseason in both seasons.[27]
Oakland Raiders
In 2010, under Jackson's guidance as offensive coordinator, the Raiders' offense finished fourth in the AFC and sixth in the NFL in scoring (25.6 points per game). They also finished fifth in the AFC and 10th in the NFL in total offense (354.6 yards per game), and second in the NFL and AFC in rushing (155.9 yards per game).[28] The Raiders more than doubled their scoring output from the previous year, totaling 410 points. Under Jackson's offense, running back Darren McFadden finished the season with 1,157 yards rushing on 223 carries for a 5.2 average yards/carry and 7 rushing touchdowns. McFadden also had 47 receptions for 507 yards and 3 touchdowns. His end of year numbers were 1,664 total yards and 10 total touchdowns for the 2010 NFL season, making McFadden the NFL's 5th leader in total yards from scrimmage for the 2010 season.[29][30]
Jackson was fired by the Oakland Raiders on January 10, 2012, after one season as head coach, by new general manager Reggie McKenzie. In his lone season as head coach, the Raiders finished with a record of 8–8 and missed the playoffs after starting the season 7–4.[32]
Cincinnati Bengals (second stint)
On February 17, 2012, Jackson returned to the Cincinnati Bengals working as an assistant defensive backs coach as well as assisting on special teams.[33] The Bengals finished 10–6 in 2012 and made the playoffs, losing in the wild card round to the Houston Texans on the road.[34] On January 14, 2013, Jackson interviewed for the offensive coordinator position with the Carolina Panthers.[35] On January 30, 2013, Jackson became the Bengals running backs coach, replacing the retired Jim Anderson.[36] He was promoted to offensive coordinator in January 2014, replacing Jay Gruden.[37] Jackson spent seven years with the Bengals.[38]
Cleveland Browns
Jackson in 2016
On January 13, 2016, Jackson was hired as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.[39] On December 18, 2016, Jackson became the first NFL coach since Rod Marinelli in 2008 to start a season 0–14. Jackson got his first win with the Browns in a 20–17 victory over the San Diego Chargers on December 24, 2016.[40] The Browns finished the season with a 1–15 record, finishing last in the NFL. The Browns finished the 2017 season without a single win, making the Browns the second team in league history to finish with a 0–16 record, after the Detroit Lions in 2008.[41]
On October 29, 2018, the Browns announced that they had fired Jackson, who had amassed a record of 3–36–1 during his tenure with the team, including a 2–5–1 start to the 2018 season.[3] He also never won a road game during his tenure with Cleveland (0-20).
Cincinnati Bengals (third stint)
On November 12, 2018, Jackson joined the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff in an unspecified role. The following day, it was confirmed that he would serve as an assistant to head coach Marvin Lewis.[42][43] On January 11, 2019, Jackson was released by the Bengals.[44]
Post-Cleveland Browns
On November 14, 2019, it was reported that Jackson would lead the drills during the NFL sanctioned workout for free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick on November 16, 2019.[45] However, on November 16, the location of the workout was changed and Jackson was unable to oversee the event.[46]
On March 29, 2021, in an interview with 850 ESPN Cleveland, Jackson stated he was writing a book about his time with the Cleveland Browns, which would be released later in the year. He said that he was "lied to" by Browns owner Jimmy Haslam regarding the state of the franchise and the team's impending rebuild that took place following his firing. He also said he received a one-year contract extension halfway through the Browns' 0-16 campaign in 2017 that the team decided not to make public.[47] In early 2022, after former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores said that Miami's owner paid him to lose games, Jackson made similar allegations against Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.[48]
Tennessee State Tigers
On April 15, 2021, Jackson joined Tennessee State's coaching staff as the new offensive coordinator for the 2021 season, under new coach Eddie George.[49] The Tigers finished with a 5–6 record and an average of 19.7 points per game for the 2021 season.[50]
Grambling State Tigers
On December 10, 2021, Jackson was hired to be the 14th head coach of the Grambling State Tigers. It marks his first time serving as a head coach in college football.[51] He was fired in November 2023.[52]
^ abTrotter, Jake (October 29, 2018). "Browns fire head coach Hue Jackson, offensive coordinator Todd Haley". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 10, 2018. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jackson's 3-36-1 record with the Browns is the worst head-coaching record for one team in NFL history (minimum 40 games).
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