Albany native and New York Jets receiver Bobby Jackson to speak Tuesday, July 23

ALBANY — With football season fast approaching, Albany native Bobby Jackson will return home later this month, to talk not just about his journey to the NFL with locals, but how crucial his upbringing was to his trajectory.

Simply put, the aim of his message is despite whatever is said about Albany and Dougherty County, Albanians and their children can do anything and go anywhere from Southwest Georgia, and he’s proof of it.

“While I came out of one of Albany’s most economically depressed neighborhoods, I made it to college and landed on one of the biggest stages in entertainment, thanks to the love of family and community,” the Long Island, New York, transplant said. “I’m coming home to share the message that it’s not where you come from, but where you choose to go.”

Jackson will narrate a 35-minute slideshow detailing his journey from Albany’s CME neighborhood to the veteran ranks of the NFL. The event, titled “How Albany Helped Me Reach The NFL and Beyond,” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, at the Albany Civil Rights Institute, 326 W. Whitney Ave. in Albany. Following his presentation, Jackson will host an audience Q&A before signing copies of his biography, “Straight Outta CME: Bobby Jackson’s Journal To The NFL” by Bill Lightle. The event is free and open to the public.

Told by his junior high school coaches he was too small to play football, Jackson proved them wrong. He played junior varsity and varsity football at Albany High School before the 1974 graduate was recruited by FSU, where he started all four seasons, missing only one game. The NFL’s New York Jets picked Jackson in the sixth round of the draft, and he started all eight years (1978-1985) with the team. Career highlights include 21 interceptions, three fumble recoveries and three touchdowns. Jackson retired with the Atlanta Falcons in the final year of his career. A husband and father of seven children — including one drafted by the San Francisco 49ers — Jackson owns a personal fitness company in New York, where he resides.

The event is being hosted with the support of the Albany Civil Rights Institute, the City of Albany and AugustineMonica Films.

contributed