Phil Jackson

Wyoming

Sep 20 (Sat)

8:15 p.m.

Position:
Cornerback
Height:
6-1
Weight:
190
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Colorado Springs, Colo.
High School:
Sierra

AT COLORADO: 2003 (Sr.)?He played in 11 games, including 10 games (and starts) on defense and one on special teams (he temporarily lost his starting spot midway through the year). He racked up 40 tackles on the season, including 33 solo, to rank eighth on the team overall. He added eight pass deflections, four third down stops and a forced fumble (the latter against Florida State). He had a season-high eight tackles against UCLA, with six on three other occasions, while he batted away three passes against both Colorado State and Washington State. He finished his career with 156 tackles, 22nd all-time for defensive backs at CU, while his 29 pass deflections ranked sixth all-time. He sat out all contact drills in spring practice while mending from shoulder surgery he had after the ’02 bowl game. The Sporting News selected him as a second-team preseason all-Big 12 performer and ranked him as the No. 15 cornerback in the nation.

2002 (Jr.)?He started all 14 games including the Alamo Bowl at the right corner slot, seeing action for 799 snaps, the fourth most on defense in the regular season. He had 51 tackles on the year, with 43 of those solo stops, with nine pass deflections and nine third down stops. He was second on the team with three interceptions, and all three came in the red zone; he snared two in the end zone (against Colorado State and Iowa State) and picked off one against Nebraska at the CU 13. The CU coaches named him to the team’s prestigious Victory Club, as he graded out to the coaches satisfaction and requirements in at least nine games this year. He had a season-high seven tackles in the opener against Colorado State, and had five or more on four other occasions. Against Wisconsin in the bowl, he had five tackles, holding his own while playing with a dislocated shoulder he suffered in the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma. On special teams, he blocked an extra point against OU in the Big 12 title game.

2001 (Soph.)?He played in 11 games, including the Fiesta Bowl, and made five starts, but he was hampered from the sixth game on after suffered two broken bones in his hand in the Kansas State game. He was in for 422 snaps from scrimmage and made 20 tackles (19 solo), with eight pass deflections, a tackle for loss, two third down stops and a fumble recovery (that he returned three yards against Missouri). His top games were against San Jose State (six tackles) and Kansas (five tackles, all solo, with three pass deflections). Against Oregon in the bowl game, he was in on three solo tackles.

2000 (Fr.-RS)?He earned third-team freshman All-America honors by The Sporting News, as he started at right cornerback for the first time against Washington in the third game of the season and was entrenched in the starting lineup the rest of the year. He played 710 snaps on defense, the third most on defense, as only the starting safeties, Michael Lewis and Robbie Robinson, played more. He was in on 45 tackles (36 solo), with six tackles for losses, seven third down stops and four passes broken up. He has two interceptions on the season, and returned the first of his career 28 yards for a touchdown against Washington to make his first start that much more memorable. His other interception came at Missouri, when he three third down stops in most unique fashion: one tackle, one pass deflection and the pick. He had career highs of eight solo tackles and 11 stops in all against Oklahoma State, and made seven tackles against Texas and six on two other occasions. He had an outstanding spring, and was in on 10 tackles with a pass deflection in the two major spring scrimmages.

1999 (Fr.)?Redshirted; did not see any action but practiced the entire fall in the secondary. He was the Scout Team Defense award winner for the Oklahoma game as selected by the coaches.

HIGH SCHOOL?As a senior, he earned honorable mention All-America honors from USA Today, as well as first-team all-Colorado and all-state honors from both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. He also earned first team all-Colorado Springs Metro South League honors. He played only four games due to a back injury as a junior, but still earned second-team all-league honors, the same accolades he garnered as a sophomore. As a senior, he was in on 47 tackles playing cornerback, including four for losses. He had nine interceptions, of which he returned five for touchdowns and had 219 total return yards, and also had 11 passes broken up and a fumble recovery he returned 46 yards for a touchdown. On offense, he had 23 receptions for 549 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed 11 times for 133 yards and two scores. He also had 11 kickoff returns for 319 yards (2 TDs), and 16 punt returns for 109 yards (1 TD). All told, he scored 16 touchdowns and three two-point conversions for 102 total points. He had five interceptions in four games in his injury-shortened junior season, but as a sophomore, he was fourth in the state in interceptions, snaring 10. Top games as a senior came against Green Mountain (four touchdowns: two on interception returns, one punt return and one rushing), Air Academy (three interceptions, one for a TD, and the fumble return for a score) and Palisades (three interceptions). Sierra was 12-2 his senior year, losing to cross-town rival Rampart in the state's 4A championships game; the Stallions were 10-1 his junior season and 5-5 his sophomore year, and were Colorado Spring Metro South champs as a junior and senior under coach Kirk Sullivan. He also lettered three times in basketball (guard, averaging 18.5 points as a senior), and four times in track. He participates in the 110-high hurdles (owns the school record of 14.13) and the high jump (6-6 career best); he medaled in both events as a junior at the state meet.

ACADEMICS?He graduated from CU with a bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies in May 2003.

PERSONAL?Born Oct. 29, 1979 in Wichita, Kan. He is married (Roniesha), and they are the parents of two daughters, JaShayla (3) and Tamia (1); he loves playing “super dad” to his kids. Hobbies include video games. A brother (DeWayne Long) is a wide receiver at Northern Colorado, where a cousin (Martin Jones) plays cornerback. Another cousin (B.J. Williams) played basketball at Kansas, and yet another cousin (Kendall Boyd) played hoops at Mesa Community College in Arizona.

TACKLES

Season  G  Plays  UT   AT?TOT TFL   Sacks  3DS   Hurr   FR  FF  PBU   Int

2000     11    710   36     9?45    6-15   1-  7       7       1      2     0     4       2

2001     10    422   19     1?20    1-  2   0-  0       2       0      1     0     8       0

2002     13    799   43     8?51    1-  1   0-  0       9       0      0     1     9       3

2003     10    591   33     7? 40   0-  0   0-  0       4       0      0     1     8       0

Totals   44  2522    131 25?156   8-18   1-  7     22       1      3     2   29       5

ADDITIONAL STATISTICS?Interception Return Yards: 2-58, 29.0 avg., 1 TD, 30 long (2000); 
3-18, 6.0, 12 long  (2002). 
Fumble Return Yards: 1-8, 8.0 (2000); 1-3, 3.0 (2001).  
Punt Return Yards: 0-1 (2003); Special Team Tackles: 1,0?1 (2000); 1,0?1 (2002).