( born July 22, 1983) The right man at the right time. Steven “Action” Jackson, the son of a Las Vegas pit boss was destined for bigger things away from the bright lights. At a time when top Southern Nevada talent gravitated to Southern California, Steven chose to join Dennis Erickson’s high-flying Oregon State Beavers, coming off their best season in school history.
Jackson’s combination of power and speed complimented the quickness of senior Ken Simonton, already a Beaver legend. In 2002, Jackson became a one-man rushing game paired with the high-volume passing of Derek Anderson. Both were bound for the National Football League.
In Jackson, the Beavers had a durable running back with excellent hands averaging 5 yards every time he touched the ball during his 3-year OSU career. And he touched the ball a lot! 743 rushing attempts, 66 receptions, 45 touchdowns, a total of 4,545 all-purpose yards. That’s all in three years. The NFL came calling after Jackson’s junior year, the Rams made him the 24th overall pick in 2004 with their first-round selection.
Just like Corvallis, St. Louis was a perfect fit. Three Pro Bowl appearances in nine seasons with the Rams and two second team All-Pro selections. 8 consecutive years 1,000 yards rushing. By the time his career ended with 3 seasons in Atlanta and New England, Jackson had compiled over 11,000 rush yards and had cracked the top 20 list of NFL all-time ball carriers.
Durable, dependable, the right man at the right time. Steven Jackson is also a member of the Oregon State University Athletics Hall of Fame.