Former Quarterback Jesse Jackson Used Athletic Background to Champion Sports Equality

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who passed away Tuesday at 84, drew from his experience as a college football quarterback to become a powerful advocate for equal opportunities in professional sports. The former North Carolina A&T quarterback fought for fair treatment of athletes regardless of race or background throughout his decades-long career.

At a 2011 NBA playoff matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, Rev. Jesse Jackson watched intently from the baseline as players warmed up before the game.

The civil rights icon appeared completely at home in the athletic setting, surrounded by an environment that had shaped much of his life’s work.

Jackson, who passed away Tuesday at 84, began his athletic journey early and maintained deep connections to sports throughout his career as both participant and champion for change. After receiving a football scholarship to Illinois, he transferred to the historically Black North Carolina A&T following his first year. As quarterback for the Aggies, he helped lead the team to a conference championship in 1964 and earned induction into the university’s athletic Hall of Fame two decades later.

“What is not a well-known fact is that Rev. Jackson, first of all, he was a football player,” said CK Hoffler, Jackson’s attorney for 38 years. “He himself, as a former athlete, understood the plight of athletes.”

During that Bulls-Pacers game, Jackson’s imposing 6-foot-3 frame commanded attention even among professional basketball players. His presence overshadowed even Bulls star Derrick Rose, the league’s MVP that season and fellow Chicago native whom Jackson had traveled to Indianapolis to support.

Jackson’s athletic background ignited his lifelong commitment to securing fair treatment and equal opportunities for athletes across all sports, regardless of their race, gender, or country of origin.

“He’s always been an advocate of greater inclusion, whether it was fair pay and other things for athletes throughout the country and throughout the world,” Hoffler said. “Athletes from overseas, ensuring that they got a fair shake as well. That was part of what (he) felt was fair. That was part of his social justice.”

Jackson’s commitment to athlete advocacy extended beyond public demonstrations to include private negotiations and behind-the-scenes work.

“The Harlem Globetrotters, they had their own cartoon,” Hoffler said. “They did a lot of community building, and they were just iconic in and of themselves. But they had no insurance. They had no benefits. And Rev. Jackson, upon hearing that, took it upon himself to negotiate their benefits.”

Len Elmore, a former 10-season NBA player now serving as senior lecturer at Columbia University, observed clear connections between Jackson’s athletic foundation and his broader social justice mission.

Throughout the years, Elmore saw Jackson consistently push for reform across Major League Baseball, the NFL, and NBA without hesitation.

“He certainly had a vision and in trying to achieve that vision he was very forward and aggressive in stating what the world should be like,” said Elmore, who teaches courses on athlete activism and sports-related social justice. “He also was very critical of the timing of some of the actions that didn’t come fast enough or they weren’t capable enough.

“His understanding of the world and what it should be, what it should look like was amazing. And his leadership in trying to get there was something that inspired a lot of us.”

Elmore, who operated a sports agency during the early to mid-1990s, treasures an award he received from Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH organization’s sports division recognizing efforts to expand Black representation among sports agents.

Jackson also advocated strongly for minority coaching opportunities. Elmore recalls Jackson’s persistent efforts to convince Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney to implement what became the NFL’s Rooney Rule in 2003. The policy initially mandated that teams interview at least one diverse candidate before filling head coaching positions, addressing the shortage of minority head coaches.

Jackson, Elmore said, “wanted folks to have a piece of the pie. He wanted that pie to have diverse overtones.”

However, Jackson didn’t hesitate to criticize the Rooney Rule’s limited impact. Following Brian Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL, Jackson advocated for improvements in a 2022 USA Today opinion piece, describing the rule as a “toothless tiger.”

“You recognize change and the type of change that he envisioned. It wasn’t just a dream, it was active,” Elmore said. “Whether it was either influencing to some extent Harry Edwards in the ’60s, the Rooney Rule, the Nike boycott (demanding more Black employees) in 1990 — he wanted athletes to recognize their platform and the legacy they possess. Not just in the field, but in the boardroom. … That is what Jesse Jackson envisioned and what he was about.”

According to Hoffler, Jackson maintained passion for all sports while particularly connecting with athletes who championed equality. Despite his football background, basketball held special appeal for him. In recent years, he regularly attended NBA All-Star Weekend events, specifically supporting the HBCU Classic game that highlighted underrepresented college players.

Jackson continued appearing at basketball games throughout his 70s and 80s.

“Even when he was physically not able to walk,” Hoffler said, “he was still at some of those games in a wheelchair. That’s how much he was committed to the plight of athletes.”