Kent Roosevelt football head coach Kardell Jackson hugs one of his assistant coaches following his team’s 14-7 victory over arch-rival Ravenna last Friday in Kent.

By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Kardell Jackson loves everything about Kent.

His hometown has his heart.

The fact that he is now the head coach for the same football program that had such an impact on his life, is not something that he takes for granted.

“There is a lot of pride and tradition with Kent Roosevelt football and that’s something that I love about it,” Jackson said. “I have been a part of it and my best friends to this day were a part of it.”

Jackson was a standout player under legendary Hall of Fame coach John Nemec from 2010-2013.

He began his career at Roosevelt as an assistant before being hired at Stow, where he ascended into a role as a coordinator and associate head coach.

When Roosevelt’s coaching position became available, Jackson was ready to come home.

It was time to live a dream.

“Coaching at my alma mater almost seems surreal,” said Jackson, whose second season as head coach begins on Aug. 23 against arch-rival Ravenna at home.

And just as he remembered, the Kent community was ready to support him and his family the way only the Kent community does.

“My wife isn’t from Kent, but we live here now and she has come to love this place. It shows how awesome the Kent community is, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Jackson said. “The community really cares not only about football, but the school district in general, so the support has been amazing.”

Jackson’s existing relationships have also made it easier for him to connect back to the community quickly.

“Being able to connect with the community is something I believe is very important at the high-school level and being from here, it makes it a little easier and definitely motivates me daily because of the Rider Pride I have,” Jackson said.

And there is a lot of that pride on the Riders’ coaching staff.

In total, there are nine staff members who are Kent Roosevelt graduates and three more who are not alumni, but have been associated with the district and program for more than two decades each.

“We all want Roosevelt students to be proud of where they’re from and understand that our football program stretches throughout the whole community,” Jackson said. “Coming to work each day doesn’t feel like work because of the passionate people around me with the same goals. When you work with people who care and are passionate, it’s easy to be motivated to be the best version of myself. We all want the same goal, we all have a role and we all own our roles.”