Scott Jackson

Eight years of football earned Scott Jackson a Hall of Fame induction.

Jackson is one of 11 inductees selected as the inaugural class of the Clarendon County Hall of Fame.

He was a man from a small community but was tough and eager enough to lay it all on the line.

Prior to becoming an athletic star, Jackson was a major part of his family’s farm, helping with chores and maintaining the steady flow of the daily grind.

He began his athletic career at Manning High School under Head Coach Jim Allred in 1947.

He was a three-sport athlete including basketball, football and baseball and was a basketball and football team captain.

Jackson began playing football in the ninth grade when Coach Allred approached his father asking for approval.

He father said he could play if he got all his chores, such as milking the cows, completed.

Football was something he thoroughly enjoyed and he used that as an incentive to complete his tasks.

“I just had a desire to be a part of a team,” he said. “I had to milk in the dark, but I loved football to the point where that didn’t really matter. I didn’t realize how much it meant to me to be part of a team that worked hard together. I was able to do some things that helped out and I gave it all I had and I got rewarded for it.

“It was a pleasure for me to be a part of a team with people who loved the same thing I loved. I made it my goal to set our sights where they would get better, because I got better and if I tried harder, they would try harder. I just wanted to be the best I could be at what I was doing.”

Following his high school career, Jackson was offered athletic scholarships to the University of Georgia, Auburn University, the University of South Carolina and Clemson College.

He visited the schools and ultimately chose Clemson where he played football under legendary coach Frank Howard. Jackson credits much of his athletic success on the guidance and teachings of Coach Howard.

He recalled that Howard was very stern and demanding, but learned so much about the sport, as well as life, that he was successful on and off the field.

“He was fair,” Jackson said. “If you didn’t make practice every day of the week, you didn’t play on Saturday. If you did your job, you didn’t hear from him. If you tried to loaf on him and didn’t give him 100 percent, you didn’t play for him. That’s all you had to do was give him that extra effort.”

During his time at Clemson, Jackson had a stellar career.

He started for Howard’s 1951 team and lettered in 1952, 1953 and 1954 as an end on offense and defense.

During his senior season in 1954, he was voted MVP from his teammates, played in the Blue-Gray All-Star game and was the leading receiver. Those accolades earned him All-ACC honors.

Being named MVP by his teammates was one of his greatest accomplishments he said.

“Those are the things I really treasured the most,” he said. “They know what you’re doing, they know what kind of player you are and they know how hard you try and they know what you’re doing for the team. That’s really what’s it’s all about.”