AUSTIN — LBJ High School Football coach Andrew Jackson leaves behind a legacy in Austin that many will never forget.
Monday afternoon, people poured into his funeral to remember the man he was and the people he influenced.
Jackson recently lost his fight to cancer that lasted for years. The determination he showed battling the disease, while still coaching season after season right until the very end, is inspirational. Angela Dixon knows this as well as anyone, being Jackson's cousin. She said all types of people were attracted to his personality.
"He had one of those kinds of smiles where you would just want to go up and talk to him, even if you didn't know him," Dixon said.
As people walked into the Delco Activity Center, there were footballs on the table -- rather than books -- to sign in honor of Jackson. The ceremony started with scripture read by different pastors, as well as songs sung by other guests. Jackson's three kids also went on stage to talk about who Jackson was not as a teacher or a coach -- but as a dad. His daughter, Alyssa Jackson, spoke highly of her father.
"He showed me compassion and kindness towards others like no other man could," Alyssa Jackson said. "He showed me forgiveness. We will always and forever carry you in our hearts. We love you pops."
While football wasn't Jackson's life, it was his conduit. He used the sport he loved and the job he committed to in order to make it not about the sport but about the kids on the field. Jackson's cousin spoke of the fact that he would frequently take in some of the boys who needed housing from time to time.
"He always has two or three boys in his house," Dixon said. He took care of them. He just had such a caring heart. A big heart."
That's a legacy that will never be forgotten by the people who knew and loved Coach Jack.