Home field advantage

BY JOE MILLER

Jerrell Jackson had goals of joining the professional football world after his four years of playing for MU. Now, his goals and aspirations return to Columbia. He values his Houston roots and football experience but discovered a new home with his family and business in the Show-Me State.

Jackson played multiple seasons in the NFL after graduating from MU in 2012 with a degree in health sciences. He played for the Texans, the Jaguars, the Bears and the Chiefs. After his time in the NFL, Jackson ended up in Canada playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In 2015, Jackson broke his foot, and the Blue Bombers released him.

“(I was) pretty much a free agent exploring what to do next,” Jackson says. Following his release from the team, Jackson moved back home to Houston, where he tried several different jobs to make money.

“I started working jobs, just weird jobs,” Jackson says. He worked on a moving truck, delivered beers for Budweiser and was an Uber driver. The physical jobs irritated his injured foot, so he quit and started working at the front desk of a gym called Fitness Connection.

One night after work, Jackson got a phone call from his best friend and former college teammate, Michael Egnew.

The pair met over 10 years ago when they moved into their freshman dorm.

“It’s me, it’s my dad and it’s Jerrell,” Egnew says. “Those are the people I trust. Of course, Jerrell’s the first person I would call.” This phone call about a business idea in Columbia would change Jackson’s life forever. He contacted his agent and officially retired from professional football in 2016.

Although Jackson lived in Columbia for four years as a college student, he did not have the time to make it his home and take advantage of the town. “I never went past (I-)70,” Jackson says. “I never went to the deep south of Columbia. I stayed in my world as a student-athlete.”

When Jackson returned, he stayed with Egnew, and together they ran fitness boot camps. During one of these fitness sessions, Jackson met his nowwife, Victoria Jackson.

“At first, I looked at (the boot camp), and I’m like, ‘Gosh, I’m not going to that,’” Victoria Jackson says. Her friend persuaded her to go to Jackson’s event.

“He bashfully asked for my number, and here we are four years later.”

Since meeting his wife, Jackson’s business and family have expanded. He and Egnew are now co-owners of API Project Fitness, and Jackson is a father. Newlyweds Jerrell and Victoria Jackson are raising

Kaylen Rush and Lily Dudley train with Jerrell Jackson using balance balls and a volleyball. “I moved out here with hopes of figuring out what to do,” Jackson says. “I found a passion in investing in others.” three children together. “We had a kid in 2018, and that was when I knew I’m probably stuck in Columbia,” Jackson says.

Jackson comes from a big family in Houston. His grandparents had nine children, and each of those children has about four kids. Jackson joked that there are multiple packed houses at Thanksgiving each year. “One of the things is the peace of mind I like here,” Jerrell says. “I miss my family, but Houston is very fast-paced, like you’re always ripping and running. Columbia is a little slower and it’s awesome. It’s just beautiful.”

Get In The Zone

API Project Fitness offers a variety of group fitness classes and training sessions. Visit projectfitnessapi .com or email apiprojectfitness@ gmail.com to learn more.

Jerrell and Victoria Jackson enjoy this peace when they bike the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail and see different parks and neighborhoods on their rides. Jackson has found purpose and family in his former college town. As the saying goes, home is where the heart is.

“If someone asked me where I’m from, I would say Houston,” Jackson says. “But home, where I wanna be the most, is Columbia with my family.”

Jerrell Jackson sets up training cones at Athletes Performance Institute. “Owning a business relies on max effort,” Jackson says. “You get what you earn.”