Jamaal Jackson is finally home. Bruce’s new head football coach was a star athlete at BHS in his high school days, and even turned his talents into a college career at Northwest and Texas Tech, but he hopes to be at Bruce for the long haul and help return the Trojan program to its winning ways.
“It’s kind of different, but it’s really good to be back home,” Jackson said. “I’ve been a head coach before, but this is home. I plan on being here a while. I impacted other communities, so to get to impact my own community, it’s good. I’m excited.”
Jackson previously served as head football coach at Coffeeville before accepting a football assistant position at Pontotoc. According to him, he became stretched thin at Coffeeville as a head coach and an assistant coach for numerous sports before his destination change.
“I did too much stuff at Coffeeville,” Jackson said. “It was one of those things that just kind of wore me down. Once you’re giving your all to so many different things, you’re not really giving your all to anything.”
Now that he’s back at Bruce, Jackson is hoping to reverse the fortunes the Trojans have seen in recent years.
“I just want to get us back to winning and, most importantly, instilling in these kids some leadership skills and quality of life after football,” Jackson said. “Because football teaches you more than just football. You follow the Lord, and everything falls into place.”
The first step in this process for Jackson deals with a mindset and focus on the fundamentals.
“Watching film, they just didn’t move,” Jackson said. “I’m all about moving. Even if you don’t block anybody, you need to be moving forward.”
Jackson was on the freshman team the year the Trojans won the state title in 1996, but he was a part of successful Bruce teams in his career, something he hopes to replicate in practices and in games during his tenure.
“We practiced with intensity, and we played with intensity, and I just haven’t seen a whole lot of intensity,” Jackson said. “I can’t say that I’m going to bring the intensity, but I’m going to do my best to put it in them. I think it’s more about the mentality than anything else.”
Part of this mentality Jackson hopes to instill in his players could be seen in himself during his own playing days.
“I always thought I was the best player on the field, even when I knew I wasn’t,” Jackson said. “That was just my mindset: ‘I’m going to be the best player today.’ It’s just the way I thought. It got me locked in.”
Jackson also doesn’t shy away from giving young athletes playing time if they exhibit this mindset and the skills to get the job done.
“I don’t care if you’re in the ninth or 12th grade or whatever,” Jackson said. “If the ninth and 12th grader are on the same level, I’m going to go with the ninth grader because he’s got more potential. I don’t ever hold a kid back because of their age.”
Taking the job at Bruce comes with competing against county-rival Calhoun City. Although the Trojans haven’t knocked off the Wildcats since 2004, Jackson wants to approach the Skuna River Rivalry like any other game when the time comes.
“I’m not going to downplay it like it’s not a big game, but when I played, we always approached it like it was just another game,” Jackson said. “That week, I know they usually do special stuff, but I want it to be normal and us be business-like. I think when you add the outside stuff to the game, it puts more pressure on the kids.”
Jackson, who was raised a Trojan, now has the opportunity to bring his family along the same path.
“My oldest son is going to be a senior, I’ve got a 13-year old daughter, and I’ve got a five-year-old who will be a Trojan his whole life,” Jackson said. “I plan on being here until I retire.”