Former Auburn, NFL cornerback Calvin Jackson dead at age 48

Former Miami Dolphins and Auburn defensive back Calvin Jackson has died. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported on Monday the 48-year-old died after an illness.

Jackson’s big moment at Auburn came in a 38-35 victory over fourth-ranked Florida in the seventh game of the Tigers’ undefeated 1993 season. Jackson intercepted Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel with Auburn trailing 10-0 in the first quarter and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown. At the time, Jackson’s interception return was the second-longest in Auburn history behind a 98-yarder by John Liptak against Georgia on Nov. 15, 1947.

Jackson entered the NFL undrafted after declaring for the Supplemental Draft following two seasons at Auburn. Jackson has said he “didn’t take care of my business” after the 1993 season and was tired of butting heads with coach Terry Bowden.

“With coach (Pat) Dye, I was like one of his favorite players, so I got in trouble and my trouble used to be to get in his office, and me and him would talk football,” Jackson said during an appearance on the Miami Dolphins podcast “The Fish Tank” in 2019. “When Terry got there, I was a permanent fixture of the 5 a.m. crew. It had got so bad that the stuff that they had me doing for punishment, I didn’t even consider it punishment no more. It didn’t bother me, so I would still do the stuff that I was told not to do, and I’d go knock out the stadiums – like the other guys would get in trouble. They’d come and they’re about to die; I’m finished in 30 minutes.

“But it’s so crazy. That prepared me. All that trouble, I was in the best shape of my life. I never got tired. … Our weight-training coach started making up (expletive) for me to do. It got that bad because the other stuff didn’t bother me.”

Jackson had been one of Auburn’s Dillard Five – five players from Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Jackson, James Bostic, Brian Robinson and Frank Sanders following Otis Mounds to the Plains.

Jackson said he had four NFL teams interested in him as a rookie free agent, and he picked Miami because it was closest to Fort Lauderdale, so if he didn’t make the roster, he would have an easier time getting home.

Jackson played during the final two seasons of Don Shula’s tenure as the Dolphins’ coach and was a starter during all four seasons of Jimmy Johnson’s stay as Miami’s coach.

Jackson started two seasons at cornerback and two at strong safety.

Jackson had four interceptions in 75 NFL games, including one that he returned 61 yards for a touchdown in a 24-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 25, 1996.

Jackson also played in six playoff games and had an interception in his final NFL appearance on Jan. 15, 2000, in a 62-7 second-round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After a year out of football, Jackson returned for the only season of the first incarnation of the XFL in 2001. Back in Alabama with the Birmingham Thunderbolts, Jackson started nine of the team’s 10 games and had an interception.

After his pro career, Jackson coached football in South Florida and started a catering business.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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