This episode aired on June 9, 2020
This episode of CMUnow on KAFM features Head Football Coach Tremaine Jackson.
Tremaine Jackson grew up in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Houston, Texas. He knew little of his father and was mainly raised by his grandmother. Today, he is the head football coach at Colorado Mesa University. Because of his life he knows something about the experiences of young, black people in America today. Recently, Jackson has emerged as a national voice in the conversation about race in the long story of civil rights in America.
"I grew up tough but loved," said Jackson. "My grandma was my first coach and she was also my toughest coach. She gave me everything she had but knew she couldn't offer me everything. That's when she introduced coaches into my life and that is one of the reasons I am here today."
Using the words tough and loved to define his childhood makes sense considering both sentiments are foundational in his formula for building a football program. In fact, "love" is one of the four pillars of his formal teaching efforts when it comes to how he builds up players for life.
"I'm not building a football program as much as I am building men," he said.
Check out the most recent KAFM podcast (video with CC or SoundCloud) for the full interview with Coach Jackson.