100 Greatest: No. 5 Player - Johnnie Jackson

When Johnnie Jackson played at Harlingen from 1982 to 1984, no one was projecting him to be a contributor on a Super Bowl-winning team as an NFL rookie. Nonetheless, Jackson showed from an early age that he wasn't the average high school athlete.

Jackson is the No. 5 player in The Monitor's 100 Greatest Series.

When talking to veteran Rio Grande Valley football observers from the 1980s about the former Harlingen standout, they remember a versatile athlete who started out as a quarterback and grew into a star cornerback.

"He was one of the best I coached," coach Charlie Williams said during a 2006 interview. "He was a great, hard-working kid, and it was a privilege and a pleasure to have him. He was a great kid, a hard-working kid.

"I was tickled to death and very proud to have coached Johnnie Jackson."

Jackson was a unanimous first-team all-millennium selection by Valley Freedom Newspapers. He earned all-district honors in 1983 and '84 as a quarterback and was an All-Valley choice in '84 and '85. Perhaps his most memorable game was a 1984 contest against fellow unbeaten Edinburg, during which he covered future Notre Dame wide receiver Steve Alaniz.

The Cardinals shut down the Bobcats' high-octane attack, and Jackson limited Alaniz to two receptions for 24 yards during Harlingen's 17-3 win.

Jackson's exploits on the high school gridiron made an impression on a future Harlingen star. Manny Gomez, who finished his career in the late 1980s as one of the best players to play in the storied program and is now the Cardinals' coach, remembers marveling at Jackson's play as a fan.

"As a kid I'd go to games  bright-eyed," Gomez said. "All I wanted to do was walk in his footsteps and try to accomplish the things he did. He was a role model for kids on and off the field."

Sam Garza, who is a scout with the Dallas Cowboys, was the star quarterback at Harlingen when he was a senior and Jackson was a sophomore. Possessing a keen eye for talent even when in high school, Garza could tell that Jackson was going to be special.

"He was a natural. Instinctive," Garza said. "He had good size. He was probably 6-foot-1, 6-2. And he always had a knack for the ball. Even as a sophomore, when he was playing in the secondary he had a knack for breaking on the ball."

Jackson parlayed his career with the Cardinals into a college scholarship at the University of Houston, where his highlight was a game against the University of Texas during which he returned three interceptions for touchdowns.

After leaving Houston, Jackson was a fifth-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in 1989. He played four years as a cornerback/safety for the 49ers and two games in '92 with the Green Bay Packers.

The highlight of Jackson's NFL career was being a part of the 49ers' team that defeated the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV played Jan. 28, 1990, in New Orleans.

Jackson now is a high school principal in the Houston area, but he always will be remembered as one of the best football players to set foot on a Rio Grande Valley field.

"He's an example of what can be accomplished on the football field," Gomez said. "It's possible to get out of the Valley by playing football. There's no doubt he was a trendsetter. He accomplished a lot as an athlete and is a tremendous story."

Todd Mavreles is the West Valley Sports Editor for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4451.

WHY THEY VOTED

Here's a summary of Johnnie Jackson's career, which played a major part in the player's ranking at No. 5:

Johnnie Jackson rushed and passed for more than 900 yards during his sophomore season at Harlingen.
He was recognized as one of the top players to come out of the Rio Grande Valley after starring at Harlingen from 1982 to 1984 and earning a scholarship to the University of Houston.

Jackson was a fifth-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers in 1989 and enjoyed a four-year NFL career, highlighted by the Niners' 55-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.

THE PLAYERS

1: TBA
AUG. 24

2: TBA
AUG. 23

3: TBA
AUG. 22

4: TBA
AUG. 21

5: JOHNNIE JACKSON
Harlingen High

6: Norm Evans
Donna

7: Lupe Rodriguez
Mission High

8: Nati Valdez
Mission High

9: jim Helms
San Benito

10: Jim Hudson
La Feria

11: Maurice Hunter
Harlingen High

12: George Strohmeyer
McAllen High

13: Roberto Garza
Rio Hondo

14: Mishak Rivas
Weslaco High

15: Tony Ellis
Brownsville Hanna

16: Bobby Ply
Mission High

17: Fred Edwards
Donna

18: Willie Crafts
Brownsville High

19: Jamaar Taylor
Mission High

20: Frank Hernandez
Mission High

21: Carlos Esquivel
Edinburg High

22: Jim Norris
Mercedes

23: Abel Gonzalez
Rio Grande City

24: John Mims
Mission High

25: Leo Araguz
Harlingen High

26: Juan Castillo
Port Isabel

27: Tommy Cox
La Feria

28: Jimmy Lawrence
Harlingen High

29: Luz Pedraza
Donna

30: Billy Garza
Brownsville Porter

31: Poppy Rodriguez
PSJA High

32: Jeremy Springer
Los Fresnos

33: Shon Flores
Port Isabel

34: Phil Hetrick
PSJA High

35: Joe Marichalar
Edcouch-Elsa

36: Alfredo Garza
Port Isabel

37: Charles LeGrange
Rio Grande City

38: Alfredo Lugo
Donna

(tie): Steve Alaniz
Edinburg High

40: Matt Gorges
Harlingen High

41: Justin Springer
Los Fresnos

(tie): Eliseo Pompa
Mission High

43: Donald Guillot
Port Isabel

44: Travis Sanders
Port Isabel

45: Gerald Lambert
McAllen High

(tie): Gonzalo Garcia
Brownsville High

(tie): John Lerma
Rio Grande City

48: Manny Gomez
Harlingen High

49: Donny Martin
Port Isabel

50: Robert Cortez
San Benito