Packers to honor LR's Jackson

Keith Jackson is back in Green Bay, Wis., this weekend for the first time in 12 years, but the Little Rock native knows he'll be recognized wherever he goes while in the area.

"The fans in Green Bay are incredible," Jackson said earlier this week. "It's not just a football game up there, it's a religion.

"So if you played for the Packers, when you go back to Green Bay everyone recognizes you. They all know exactly who you are and what you did when you played in Green Bay."

Jackson, a six-time Pro Bowl tight end, played two seasons in Green Bay (1995 and 1996). He had longer stints during his nine-year NFL career with Philadelphia (four seasons) and Miami (three seasons).

"It doesn't matter I only played two seasons with the Packers," Jackson said. "If you played for the Packers, you're a Packer for life."

Jackson is being welcomed back to Green Bay this weekend along with former offensive lineman Aaron Taylor as the featured Packers' alumni for today's Green Bay-Atlanta game at Lambeau Field.

It's Jackson's first trip to Green Bay since 2006, when the Packers' 1996 team was honored on the 20th anniversary of winning Super Bowl XXXI with a 35-21 victory over New England.

Jackson's first Super Bowl turned out to be his final game as an NFL player. He had a year left on his contract, but decided to retire from football to devote more time to P.A.R.K., a non-profit organization he established in Little Rock in 1993.

P.A.R.K. -- Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids -- has a mission of ensuring students entering the eighth grade become high school graduates and giving them an opportunity to attend college.

"I was torn between doing what I do at P.A.R.K. and continuing to play football," Jackson said. "But in the end, I know I made the right choice to retire."

Jackson caught 40 passes for 505 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns in 1996 and earned Pro Bowl honors.

"I had a good season and I finally reached the pinnacle by winning the Super Bowl," he said. "There is no better way to leave than to go out on top, right?"

The Packers are far from the top of the NFL right now. They are 4-7-1 and fired Mike McCarthy as coach immediately after last week's 20-17 loss to Arizona.

But Jackson knows when he's introduced before today's game, he'll hear the cheers from a sellout crowd of more than 80,000.

The Packers have sold out every home game since 1960 and have a waiting list for season tickets of about 115,000.

"The great thing about the Packers -- what separates them from other NFL teams -- is that it doesn't matter what their record is," Jackson said. "Lambeau Field is always going to be sold out."

Jackson said he enjoyed everything about playing with the Packers except the cold weather that accompanies a Green Bay winter.

Today's forecast for Green Bay calls for a high of 29 degrees with a low of 15, but Jackson won't have to deal with the weather for long after being honored on the field prior to the kickoff.

"The Packers have promised me that when the game starts, I can go up in a skybox and get warm," Jackson said with a laugh. "So I'm looking forward to that."

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AP/TIM SHARP

Former Green Bay Packers’ tight end Keith Jackson (88) will be honored by the Packers today when they play the Atlanta Falcons. Jackson, a native of Little Rock, played two of his nine NFL seasons for the Packers.

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Keith Jackson

Sports on 12/09/2018

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