New football coach Kardell Jackson is deeply committed to Roosevelt

Kardell Jackson, officially approved as Roosevelt's football coach at a Tuesday board meeting, brings a different perspective than the past several men to take the helm of the Rough Riders.

Jackson brings the perspective of a former Roosevelt player.

A player, in fact, who was a part of the Rough Riders' last conference championship squad under the legendary John Nemec.

For Jackson, who spent the last four years as an assistant coach at Stow-Munroe Falls after four years as an assistant at Roosevelt, Tuesday marks a dream come true.

“It means a ton,” Jackson said. “It's my first head coaching job and it really feels full circle. I played my first snap of football ever in Kent youth, played my first varsity game here in Kent and got my start as a varsity assistant coach here in Kent. So to be able to come here for my first head coaching opportunity, it's really amazing. It's a privilege.”

His experience playing for the Rough Riders is certainly an advantage, with Roosevelt recently hiring a number of alumni to fill various coaching vacancies, from boys soccer (Garyn Daniels) to boys basketball (Curtis Black).

Jackson's experience coaching at and outside of Roosevelt also made him an attractive candidate.

Still, it might have been his presentation that stood out the most, according to Rough Riders athletic director Ben Dunlap.

“His plan that he articulated to our committee just blew us away,” Dunlap said. “I have been fortunate enough to serve on different committees for principal and different coaches and even some teachers in the building, and it was by far the best presentation and interview I've ever witnessed.”

Although his presentation covered a variety of topics, Jackson said he aimed to make one point particularly clear.

“It was just exemplifying and demonstrating my passion I have for this community and the appreciation I have for the people in this community,” Jackson said. “That was a big part of it. I wanted them to see how much this place means to me, whether I was a head coach or not. I live in this town, bought a house here, I'm planning on being here for a long time.”

Kardell Jackson's coaching journey starts with an injury

Jackson’s path to a dream of leading Rough Riders football began with a nightmare.

The tough times started with a torn ACL his senior season at Roosevelt. Making matters worse, one surgery proved not to be enough, as the graft failed, forcing Jackson to get a second surgery.

Then, at Ashland University, he tore his ACL once again, a painful development that led to an equally painful decision to walk away from college football.

“Honestly, it was one of the toughest transitions and decisions I've had to make,” Jackson said. “At that point, I was a little bit exhausted and just ready for something different after a while, and seeing the rehab process I needed to go through again, [I] made that decision to actually just walk away from football and focus on school.”

At that time, Jackson said he felt like he had booked a one-way ticket away from football, which made the whole decision that much more frightening. It turned out his return flight to the gridiron would come soon enough, as Jackson was brought on as an assistant coach at Roosevelt.

Like it does for so many, coaching took over Jackson’s life.

Suddenly, instead of wanting to go to school for physical therapy, Jackson wanted to get his teaching license so he could spend his life helping students and student-athletes.

“I didn't know where this career was going to take me,” Jackson said. “I didn't know I wanted to make a career out of it, but I kind of just found a different way to love the game and still stay connected to the game and make an impact on student-athletes. And, from there, I decided this is something I really want to do with my life.”

His coaching journey started as an assistant for the Rough Riders.

Then, when Roosevelt made a coaching change, Jackson and a number of his colleagues ended up at Stow-Munroe Falls, where he was reunited with Nemec, who was an assistant coach for the Bulldogs.

“It was a shock at first to be at Stow,” Jackson said. “Growing up, Stow was always kind of a rivalry, right down the street. Stow [and] Kent used to play very often, so at first it was tough and it was different, but I definitely think it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

His time with the Bulldogs included becoming a coordinator and associate head coach for the first time, which allowed Jackson to get a much greater understanding of what the role of a head coach entails.

And so by the time Alan Vanderink stepped down as Roosevelt’s coach after four seasons earlier this year, Jackson was ready to toss his hat in the ring.

“It just kind of made sense,” Jackson said. “I knew being a head coach was a goal of mine and something that I always kept in mind was when I do have that opportunity or want to pursue it, I want to make sure it was the right place.”

Roosevelt wasn't just the right place for Jackson.

It was the perfect place.

Kardell Jackson ready to work hard to make Roosevelt a winner

The road ahead will not be easy.

The Rough Riders have had a single winning season (4-3 in 2020) since Nemec’s departure. It doesn’t help that Roosevelt plays in a loaded conference that includes powerhouses like Aurora, Barberton and Highland.

For Jackson, the journey to competing with the Greenmen, Hornets and Magics begins with building belief.

“It's just going to be starting with the kids and giving them some confidence to believe in themselves and making it all about them and showing them what they're playing for is bigger than really just themselves or just the team,” Jackson said. “We're playing for the whole community and past Rough Riders, future Rough Riders, present Rough Riders.

"We're playing for all of that, so I think it's going to start with the commitment to the program, starting in the weight room and being committed to growing as much as you can as a player, as a person, young man, and just developing a winning mentality.”

Perhaps there’s no better person to exemplify that commitment to Roosevelt than Jackson, who spent much of this winter doing the basketball books for the Rough Riders long before the football coaching job ever materialized. Sure, his friendship with Black was a major reason he started helping with the books in the first place, but from there his passion for Roosevelt took over.

“I'm very passionate about this town,” Jackson said. “I love doing what I can to help out.”

Of course, passion alone isn’t enough, with Dunlap noting that he and Jackson talked about the flexibility required at a public high school, where the Rough Riders might have the personnel to sling the ball all over the yard one year and then be forced to turn to a power run game the next season.

Dunlap said they also talked about the big picture of Roosevelt athletics and how 26 head coaches need to work together. A huge perk there is that Jackson already has a great relationship with the basketball coach, Black, and the same can be said of the baseball coach, Mike Haney, who taught Jackson when he was in high school.

”That's one of the things that also made just applying here and seeing how it goes much more attractive, just the connectedness that we all have and we'll continue to have,” Jackson said. “Just already having that base foundation for a relationship and getting to grow and learning how to work together for the current student-athletes there at Roosevelt, it's really special and it's been really cool so far.”

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: New football coach Kardell Jackson is deeply committed to Roosevelt