FAYETTEVILLE — For those first watching Arkansas in the 1970s, Larry “Earthquake” Jackson was the nearest level to the Razorbacks’ linebacker legends of the 1960s - Wayne Harris, Ronnie Caveness and Cliff Powell.
Jackson wasn’t an All-American like Harris, Caveness and Powell, but being two-time All-Southwest Conference on two great teams and ABC’s 1977 Defensive Player of the Year, Earthquake came as close as it gets.
Dubbed “Earthquake” by teammates because at an undersized 5-11, 205 pounds, he seemed to explode from the ground up, Jackson was killed by lightning last week while vacationing with his wife in the Bahamas.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Frank Broyles, the Razorbacks’ head coach for Jackson’s first two seasons, kept repeating Thursday night upon learning the horrible news.
Gathering his thoughts, Broyles described why Jackson cast a giant impact on the game.
“He was prepared mentally and emotionally, and he played with the emotions that excelled,” Broyles said.
Certainly there were much bigger linebackers in Jackson’s time at Arkansas from 1975-78, but none better.
Consistency was the key for Jackson and William Hampton meshing so well as the linebacking combo for Lou Holtz’s 11-1 and 9-2-1 Razorbacks of 1977 and ’78. Consistency and Arkansas heart.
Jackson, of Hot Springs, William Hampton of Forrest City, nose guard Dale White of Benton and All-America defensive tackles Dan Hampton of Jacksonvilleand Jimmy Walker of Little Rock Central, were all signed by the Broyles regime in 1975. They were the guts of Holtz’s defense, which, while being coordinated by Monte Kiffin, vanquished prohibitive Orange Bowl favorite Oklahoma, 31-6.
They proved it’s not romanticizing to believe Arkansas kids determined to play for the Razorbacks tend to succeed beyond themselves.
Even Dan Hampton, an eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame selection for the Chicago Bears, initially overachieved despite looking gawky when arriving at the UA with oversized glasses and a spidery frame.
However, none of that 1975 freshman class more epitomized an Arkansas kid’s heart for the Razorbacks than Larry Jackson, the team’s leading tackler in 1977 and ’78.
“I think Larry is one of those guys this program was built on,” said Harold Horton, Jackson’s linebackers coach in 1975 and ’76 andthe defensive line coach in 1977 and ’78. “We got every ounce of ability that he had. Every ounce - he gave it to us. He played as good as he could play. He threw everything into the game, and he helped others be a better player, and he loved being a Razorback.”
As Arkansas’ offensive line coach in 1977 and ’78, Larry Beightol never even peripherally coached Larry Jackson.
Yet Beightol stammered in shock upon learning the tragic news.
Respect for Earthquake transcended both sides of the ball.
“He was a terrific football player and a terrific person,” Beightol finally mustered. “A lot of people thought an awful lot of him, including myself. I thought the world of him. We won 20 games in 1977 and 1978, and he was a big part of that.”
Not only a big part, but a defining part.
“He was,” Horton said, “what you want a Razorback to be.”
Sports, Pages 16 on 06/14/2010