Bucks County native Chris Jackson, top AFL receiver, signs with Soul
November 8, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 8, 2007) - The Philadelphia Soul have signed standout free agent wide receiver Chris Jackson for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Jackson (6'2'', 220, Washington State) joins the Soul after playing with the Georgia Force for the past two and a half seasons. A 2007 All AFL 1st Team member, Jackson is expected to have a major impact for the Soul. He is entering his ninth season in the AFL, having also played for Grand Rapids and Los Angeles.
Jackson will be introduced to the media and fans on Tuesday, Nov. 13, in a noon press conference at Chickie's & Pete's restaurant in South Philadelphia.
Born and raised in Morrisville (Bucks County), PA, Jackson spent his early years of life cultivating his love of sports here in the Philadelphia area before he moved to the west coast.
At Washington State, where his quarterback was former NFL #2 overall draft pick Ryan Leaf, he set a single-season record his senior year with 11 receiving touchdowns and ranked fourth in the PAC-10 with 54 catches for 1,005 yards. He has attended NFL training camps with the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins. He spent the 1998 season on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.
In 2000, he joined the Los Angeles Avengers and was named the AFL's Rookie of the Year as well as being named to the AFL All-Rookie Squad. While he was with LA, he was the primary receiver for current Soul quarterback Tony Graziani. They formed one of the AFL's top passing combinations for four seasons.
"We had a great chemistry in the past and that led to success," offered Graziani, who played a role with management in bringing Jackson to the Soul. In 2003, with Graziani as his quarterback, Jackson was named AFL Offensive Player of the Year.
"We both make each other better players. He'll be a big addition for us," Graziani added, "We'll hopefully be able to get Philly over the hump to an ArenaBowl title."
Soul team President Ron Jaworski offered, "For years Chris has been the toughest wide receiver in the AFL to defend. But he's not just an outstanding player, he's an outstanding person. Our team will benefit from him in many different ways on and off the field."
After the two parted ways, Jackson played for the Grand Rapids Rampage and Georgia Force. In 2005, he became the 11th player in AFL history to score 1,000 career AFL points. From there he continued to excel through the 2006 season where he earned a number of Offensive Player of the Game honors and scored a franchise high 372 points with Georgia. Last year, with the Force, Jackson caught 145 receptions, which helped boost him to second in the league for touchdowns (51) as well as receiving yards (1915). Of his 51 touchdowns, 47 of them were receiving and four were rushing for a total of 306 points.
"I can't wait to come to the Soul and take the team to places they haven't been before," Jackson stated. "I'm especially excited about rejoining Tony; we both see the game in the same light and are on the same page. It's going to be an exciting year."
Season tickets for the Soul's 2008 season are on sale now. Tickets start as low as $90 for a nine game plan including a postseason home game. For more information call (888) PHIL-AFL or log on to www.philadelphiasoul.com.
The Soul are entering their fifth season in the AFL and have drawn an AFL-best best 514,226 fans combined during the past four years. Following last season, the Soul were recognized with the Commissioner's Award as the Organization of the Year and were an honorable mention for the PRISM Award in the category of fan appreciation.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from November 8, 2007
- Colorado Crush announce open tryouts - Colorado Crush
- Bucks County native Chris Jackson, top AFL receiver, signs with Soul - Philadelphia Soul
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