Opinion: Chargers' Jackson teaches worth of hard work at youth conference

Vincent Jackson talked, and a crowd of Colorado Springs teens listened.

He's a wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He performs on TV on Sundays in the fall. He earns a fat paycheck playing a game. He's a celebrity.

But that's not why it was thrilling to see the crowd listening so intently. On Saturday morning, Jackson spoke as part of the 16th annual African-American Youth Leadership Conference at Colorado College.

He delivered a needed message, speaking about hope and work, but mostly about work. Many teens flee from work as if it's anthrax, but Jackson demanded they consider how labor can transform their lives.

He came home to deliver his talk. He grew up in Security, attended Widefield High School and played football at the University of Northern Colorado.

He took a grueling, unlikely road to the NFL, but he didn't mind. When he arrived at UNC, he already knew about hard work.

In high school, Jackson cleaned rooms at the Super 8 motel on Garden of the Gods Road. He sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door in neighborhoods all over Colorado Springs.

"Cold calls," Jackson said Saturday morning, closing his eyes as he thought back to days spent extolling the virtues of vacuums. "Don't miss 'em."

In high school, he sought out challenging courses and studied virtually every night. He was a superb student. He could have attended Columbia University.

Sports didn't define him. Sports didn't restrict him. He was an athlete, yes, but he wasn't only an athlete. Homework, not games, came first in the Jackson home.

"You got to earn what you want," Jackson said. "You have to work for what you want in life. I'm no stranger to work, I'm not a guy who likes to take the easy route. I don't mind working."

He paused.

"I believe that's why I'm where I'm at today," he said.

When Jackson arrived in Greeley to play for UNC, a part of him was stinging. He believed - correctly, it turns out - he could play for Colorado or Colorado State, but Gary Barnett and Sonny Lubick never showed interest.

Yet their slights didn't drain him. Instead, Barnett's and Lubick's recruiting blindness inspired Jackson. He didn't waste time complaining. He began crafting the foundation for his NFL career.

He's now secure in his pro career. As he heads toward his fourth NFL season, Jackson is a consistent, dangerous threat for the Chargers.

He's too big for most defensive backs to cover and too fast for most linebackers. He sizzled the Denver Broncos for a touchdown catch in this past season's Chargers rout at Invesco Field.

Jackson's visit to Security offers him a rare break. He'll stay at his parents' home for the next week and sleep in the bedroom that served as his personal headquarters during his junior high and high school years.

His posters of Michael Jordan still adorn his walls, along with photos of a steadily growing Jackson on local youth football and basketball games.

"It's nice," he said. "Seeing family and friends, being in the same house where I grew up. Nice to get away from everything that's going on and step back a little bit."

Still, he declines to indulge in laziness during his mini-vacation. That's not his style.

When Jackson arrived at CC on Saturday morning, he carried a box filled with 500 of his football trading cards. He had signed each one.

He wanted the teens who attended the conference to be given a card. This was his idea. No one had asked him to make the gift.
When conference organizers saw the cards, each one adorned by Jackson's careful signature, they were surprised and asked this question:

Wasn't signing all those cards a lot of work?

Jackson just smiled. He doesn't mind work. He never has.