Alonzo Jackson spent a good portion of his senior season at Florida State trying to deliver presents to his father, Eddie. And it wasn't just on the football field.
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Florida State defensive end Alonzo Jackson hugs his mother, Patricia, after being selected by the Steelers with the 59th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft. Jackson watched the draft with family, friends and former coaches at a draft party at South Georgia Technical College yesterday in Americus, Ga. (Matthew Brown, Americus Times-Recorder via AP)
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Sure, it was nice when Jackson registered one of his 23 career sacks, fifth-most in school history. He knew his dad would be watching from his hospital bed, smiling and trying to forget his problems, whenever Alonzo made a big play for the Seminoles.
But Alonzo Jackson -- "Zo" to his teammates -- had a bigger present he wanted to deliver to his father, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was given six to 12 months to live last summer. He wanted to graduate early, with a degree in sociology, because he wanted his dad to realize a dream, too.
Eddie Jackson wanted to see his son graduate from college.
"I'm blessed to be able to give him that moment," Jackson said.
It was about the only thing that went according to plan last year.
Eddie Jackson was going to leave his home in Americus, Ga., to move in with his son in Tallahassee, Fla., for his senior season. Eddie planned to do all the cooking and keep a watchful eye on Alonzo, making sure he didn't stray from his intended path. Father and son had mapped this plan years ago.
But Eddie was diagnosed with cancer when his son was a junior at Americus High School, and everything changed after that. Eddie Jackson was not able to attend his son's final home game at Florida State, where he was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick at defensive end.
He remained home, in Americus, because the cancer made him too weak to travel. But Eddie Jackson was determined to make one more trip to the Florida State campus.
"He told me, 'The next time I come to Tallahassee to collect some hardware. I'm coming down there for that graduation. I'll be in attendance,' " Alonzo said.
Eddie Jackson was there in Tallahassee the day his son graduated, a semester early, from Florida State. Had Alonzo Jackson graduated on schedule, in May, his dad would have missed the ceremony.
Eddie Jackson died three weeks ago, 10 months after the doctors gave a year to live.
"If I would have graduated on time, he wouldn't have been able to see it," Jackson said.
Eddie Jackson was not around to see his son selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Steelers. But Alonzo Jackson, who will be used at outside linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4 defense, said he kept watching the draft on television, hoping to catch a sign from his dad.
If nothing else, it was another present for his dad, who has been his source of inspiration.
"I know every time I do something, something that he drilled into my head that I need to do to be successful, I know that makes him happy," Jackson said.
Jackson is a pleasant, expressive and loquacious 22-year-old. When he talked with defensive coordinator Tim Lewis in the moments after being selected by the Steelers, Jackson excitedly told him, "Anything you want me to do, it doesn't matter. I am ready to get in there and give 110 percent." Later, he said much the same thing to Dan Rooney, telling the Steelers' president, "I can't wait to get there."
That's why it was surprising last season when Jackson, during a pregame prayer service, couldn't continue when he rose to speak to his teammates.
"I want to thank the Lord for making every moment with my family ..." Jackson started.
Then, he stopped and sat back in his seat.
"I got choked up; tears were coming to my eyes," Jackson said in an interview in the St. Petersburg Times. "I had to stop. I didn't want everybody seeing me crying."
Teammates knew what was going on with Jackson. His dad's health was tearing him apart, and it became difficult to retain his smile and infectious energy.
But Jackson never let it affect his performance on the field. He finished the season with 42 tackles (34 solo) and was second in the ACC with a career-high 13 sacks. He also had 19 tackles for losses of 104 yards and deflected three passes.
In the Sugar Bowl against Georgia, Jackson had two sacks on quarterback David Greene, just as his dad requested.
"My mom tells me that whenever he talks about me, he's at home laying in a hospital bed, he leans back and looks at the ceiling and smiles and says, 'He got that old quarterback,' " Jackson said. "[He said] 'That quarterback thought he was going to get away from him, but, nah. Once old Zo got those arms around him, he's coming down.' "
And Jackson has long arms -- 35 3/8 inches -- the longest in the draft, said Coach Bill Cowher. He also has big hands (9 1/4 inches), allowing him to grab players and bring them down.
That's one of the reasons the Steelers drafted Jackson higher than other teams had him projected. In an attempt to continue to improve their pass defense, they wanted a player who could quickly collapse the pocket and give the quarterback less time to throw.
"It would be nice to create sacks without some of the blitz pressure we've done," Cowher said.
Jackson should do that.
"My thing was, I was going to prepare to play end or linebacker," Jackson said. "Either way, I was busting my tail. I would practice longer doing linebacker drills and defensive end drills. I will do whatever it takes and that is what I did. I worked hard on both because I did not know where I would go."
Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1466.
Jackson delivers for dying father 
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