Russ Jackson

Jackson went to Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario. After a stellar college career as both a basketball and football player, he graduated from McMaster University in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. He was the McMaster nominee for a Rhodes Scholarship, but did not pursue an interview for the scholarship, deciding to play professionally.^[2][3]

Jackson was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1958 CFL draft as a halfback.^[4] In his rookie year, he also played quarterback and eventually became the starter and led the Rough Riders to three Grey Cup victories (48th, 56th, and 57th Grey Cups).^[3]

Jackson was the dominant CFL quarterback of the 1960s. Referred to as the "Y. A. Tittle of the North", he was honoured many times during his CFL career.^[5] He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award in the 1963, 1966, and 1969 seasons. He was also a four-time winner of the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award (1959, 1963, 1966, 1969). He was a six-time Eastern Conference All-Star quarterback (1962, 1963, 1966–1969) and the CFL All-Star quarterback in the 1966, 1968, and 1969 seasons.

Russ Jackson was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1973.^[6] Many consider him one of the best Canadian-born players to play in the CFL, while most consider him to be the best Canadian to play the quarterback position.^[2] In November 2006, Jackson was voted one of the CFL's top 50 players (No. 8) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.,^[2] the only Canadian-born player in the Top 10.

Jackson ended his career with 24,593 passing yards, with 1,356 completions on 2,530 attempts (53.6%), 124 interceptions, 185 touchdowns, and an efficiency rating of 91.2. He was also a mobile quarterback, gaining 5,045 yards on the ground on 738 rushes, with 54 touchdowns. Among the few Canadian-born quarterbacks to play in the CFL, Jackson is the one of two to pass for over 10,000 yards, as he was joined by Nathan Rourke in 2025.^[7]

He holds the record for throwing the most passing touchdowns in a Grey Cup game with four (set in the 1969 game) and highest career passer rating in Grey Cup games with 118.4.^[7]

Ottawa Journal sports editor Eddie MacCabe wrote a biography for Jackson's career in Ottawa, titled Profile of a Pro: The Russ Jackson Story and first published in 1969.^[8][9]