Day 6: Don Jackson '73

Don Jackson, center, with some of his old pals

Don Jackson came to Columbia, (like his two older brothers before him), from nearby Stuyvesant High School in 1969, a time when schools like Stuyvesant were still sending football players to Division I schools.

In those days, freshmen football teams featured huge rosters and there were usually more QB's on those rosters than any other position.

But Jackson stood out on the '69 frosh team. In week two against Yale he rushed for 119 yards and a TD while also throwing for 153 yards and two more scores in the 35-26 win. A week later, he passed for 287 yards in a 34-26 win over Brown.

Jackson didn't top the depth chart going in to the 1970 season, but he was starter by the end of the year, finishing with 1,156 yards passing and 9 TD's.

1971 was his "magic" year. He threw 12 TD passes and guided the Lions to nail-biter win after nail-biter win.

Like the rest of the squad in '72, Jackson's numbers faded a bit in his senior season. But he finished with better career numbers than the next five leading Columbia QB's combined.

After Columbia, Jackson had a successful career in TV sports broadcasting before switching to the financial field where he is now.