Overview
DeSean William Jackson (born December 1, 1986) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the California Golden Bears, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American in 2006 and 2007. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, and has also played for the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Rams. Jackson has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times, and was the first player selected to the Pro Bowl at two different positions in the same year when he was named to the 2010 Pro Bowl as a wide receiver and return specialist.
Early life
Jackson was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles. He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, the same high school as future Philadelphia Eagles teammate Winston Justice and many other current NFL players. He became one of the top wide receiver recruits in the nation, with many collegiate football programs pursuing his services. He was named the 2004 Glenn Davis Award winner by the Los Angeles Times as Southern California's player of the year. He also ran track and played baseball and was scouted by both the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies in his senior year. In track, he was timed at 10.5 seconds in the 100 meters.
Jackson caught 60 passes for 1,075 yards for 15 touchdowns his senior year, leading the Jackrabbits to a CIF Southern Section championship. He was pressed into service last minute as a defensive back in the section title game against Los Alamitos High School, responding with two interceptions, one which he returned 68 yards for a touchdown to help fuel Long Beach Poly's 21–6 victory.
To cap off his high school career, Jackson was voted the Most Valuable Player at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, where he caught seven passes for 141 yards and passed for a 45-yard touchdown in leading the West to a 35–3 victory in a game that featured 80 of the nation's top players. However, he was also involved in an embarrassing play when he attempted to somersault from the five-yard line for a touchdown, but landed on the one-yard line, leaving the football there. ESPN.com'''s Tom Lemming rated him as the number four wide receiver in the country, PrepStar Magazine named him an All-American and a member of its Dream Team Top 100 players, and Calhisports.com voted him the 2004 Mr. Football State Player of the Year.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).