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Terry Jackson of the San Francisco 49ers and former member of the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County

Although playing football for teams such as the University of Florida Gators, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers, Terry Jackson will always be remembered for playing at the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County.

Terry began his football career when he was 8, playing for the Boys & Girls Club under coach Mike Dotson.

"I had played a lot of sandlot ball before, but playing for the Boys & Girls Club taught me how to play organized football," Terry said.

Football is a family tradition. His father, Willie Jackson, also played football at the University of Florida. Terry’s brother, Willie Jackson, Jr., was a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys in 1994 and the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1995 to 1996.

Terry said his father and brother helped inspire and motivate him to become involved in sports and to succeed.

Terry was encouraged to go to the Boys & Girls Club by his brother, who had attended the club just a few years earlier.

As many children do, Terry played several other sports including basketball and soccer. As a junior in high school, he decided to only play football, and from that point on there was no stopping him.

"I felt that I was best suited to play football," Terry said. "I felt a lot more comfortable at that sport."

Being involved in the Boys & Girls Club taught Terry many things including how to work with other people. Terry said he knows that it can do the same for children today if they get involved.

"It allows them to play on a team and be able to work with other people," Terry said. "It also allows them to hang around other kids, which is important as a kid. I still have friends to this day that I met at the Boys & Girls Club."

He hopes his success will motivate children to succeed just as his father’s and brother’s motivation helped him. Terry also encourages children to get involved in any kind of sports.

"Sports give kids something constructive to do with their time, and it also allows them to get in shape," Terry said

Terry permanently lived in Gainesville until he was 23 and now lives here a few months out of the year.

Terry was involved with the Boys & Girls Club until he was 13, when he started to get involved in high school sports. Terry now plays for the San Francisco 49ers and shows no sign of slowing down .

Story and Photo by: Travis Claytor, Communications Intern