Indiana hires Je’Ney Jackson as strength and conditioning coach

  • 07/07/2010 3:36 pm in

Per IU Media Relations:

Je’Ney Jackson has joined the strength and conditioning staff at Indiana University and will be working with the nationally prominent Hoosier men’s basketball program.  He brings eight years of experience as a strength coach (including a stint as the men’s basketball strength coach for IU assistant Steve McClain at Wyoming) on the Division I level and five years as a position coach, most notably at Kansas.

We are excited to add someone with Je’Ney’s talent toughness and personality, said IU Coach Tom Crean.  “He comes highly recommended not only from Steve McClain who he worked with for five years, but from other prominent coaches that I respect.”

Jackson has been at Southern Mississippi since February after spending five years with the Kansas football program, including the last three years as cornerbacks coach. Prior to that,  Jackson was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at KU for two seasons and six years as strength and conditioning coach at Wyoming.

“I am thrilled to be able to work with Tom Crean and to have this opportunity at Indiana,” said Jackson.  “This is a program with great tradition and the new facilities makes this one of the elite jobs in all of college athletics.  I am looking forward to getting to know the players and helping them reach their maximum potential.”

At Kansas, Jackson mentored Aqib Talib, who earned consensus All-America honors and was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chris Harris, who was tabbed a Freshman All-America Honorable Mention pick by The Sporting News.

“He is a highly thought of coach who has obviously been successful,” added Crean.  “The people that I talked to in the sporting world, had nothing but respect for him and high praise of him as a coach and leader of men.”

An All-WAC cornerback as a senior at Wyoming, Jackson was a four-year letterman for the Cowboys from 1994-97 and earned a biology degree from UW in 1998. He finished his Cowboys’ career with 85 unassisted tackles, 129 total tackles and seven interceptions.

As a junior, he appeared in all 12 games for the Cowboys at corner. Jackson put together an outstanding senior season as a starter at left corner, earning All-WAC First Team honors. He was second on the team in interceptions with five and also had 37 total tackles and broke up eight passes.

As a freshman at UW he played wide receiver, and returned punts and kickoffs. He moved to the defensive side of the ball as a sophomore, starting five games at cornerback and producing 45 tackles and two interceptions. His 98-yard interception return against UTEP is still a Cowboy record.

Jackson had an outstanding prep career while attending Guernsey-Sunrise High School in Wyoming, earning 12 varsity letters in football, basketball and track. Jackson was selected as Wyoming’s Football Player of the Year by both USA Today and the Casper Star-Tribune/Wyoming Radio Network.

“His experiences should be a tremendous asset to our players,” Crean added.  “He has a great deal of passion about what he does and has coached and played at an extremely high level with great success.”

Jackson and his wife, Audra, have three children, Dante’, Tre’ Sean and Bre’ Anna.

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