Before the medals, the state titles, and the Hall of Fame honors, there was just a boy who wanted to move mountains. And he did. Sometimes by sheer will, sometimes with the power in his legs. But always with a fire that never dimmed. Those who grew up with him didn’t know they were watching a legend being made. But when word spread that he breathed his last this week, a silence swept across Florida’s football and track communities. A silence filled with disbelief, reverence, and heartbreak. 

Gone was the man who had shaped generations without ever needing a whistle to command respect. A black and white photo posted by bcu_athletics on Instagram on August 6 said it all. Calvin Jackson (1953-2025). “Bethune-Cookman Athletics is saddened to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Calvin Jackson,” it wrote in the caption. Jackson’s story didn’t begin with fame, and it sure didn’t end with it. But between those bookends was a life rooted in power and purpose.

Back in the early ’70s, when Bethune-Cookman was clawing its way to football relevance, a massive force on the offensive line quietly became the program’s spine. Calvin Jackson cleared the path for legends like Wayne Allen and the late Randy Walker, players who ran through holes he carved like a sculptor. When the Wildcats snapped a 19-year drought against Florida A&M in 1972, insiders didn’t mention his name in headlines. His teammates knew. But football was just the first chapter in a life that would touch far more than scoreboards.

That same year, he stepped onto the track in Atlanta and swept the discus and shot put at the SIAC championship. “Proud of that one,” he once said, smiling and recalling the 1975 sweep. It wasn’t boastful, just reflective, like someone proud not of the gold, but of the grind. Those Bethune-Cookman years shaped his soul. “Bethune-Cookman taught us about service, going the extra mile, grinding it out and being there for one another,” he’d say later. “Jesus said it best ‘if you serve the least, you’re serving Me’.” That word service would become the anthem of the next three decades of his life.

Then came the second act, the one where he turned away from the spotlight and handed it to others. At Miami Northwestern High School, he became more than a track head coach. He was a builder of winners. His Bulls won the 1991 Florida 4-A state championship. Under his guidance, 60 athletes became state champions. He brought home eighteen district titles and four regional titles. But his blessing? “I’ve always loved track,” he admitted. “To be able to remain involved in the sport as long as I did was truly a blessing. I was fortunate to always have great athletes and great support.” Carmen, his wife, won three coaching titles herself. It was legacy work. He was later inducted into the B-CU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2016. And legacy, like love, doesn’t vanish when a man takes his final breath.

Tributes pour in for Calvin Jackson

Calvin Jackson’s life wasn’t about being seen. It was about showing up and staying. Since the news broke, tributes kept pouring in. One comment read simply, “RIP Calvin. You will be missed.” Short, but that sentence carried decades of sweat, mentorship, and quiet impact. 

The name he wore in college never left him. “RIP Wildcat,” another user wrote. Bethune-Cookman was his beginning, and it never stopped being his anchor. It’s a badge he never took off.

His loss was felt like a tremor across schools, generations, and sideline communities that revered him not just for what he taught, but how he taught. Another person added, “Sending prayers of comfort to the Johnson Family and the BCU Family 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾” Calvin Jackson was family to his players, to his school, to the generations he pushed across finish lines and goal lines.

Sometimes grief can’t be spoken. Only felt. And those who knew Coach Jackson felt it the moment that image was posted. “🙏🏼🙏🏼🥲,” another commented. The silence in the comment echoed what many felt, a heartbreak that sneaks up on you.

This is a final farewell to a man who spent his life lifting others. “RIP,” they wrote. Three letters. Rest wasn’t something Calvin Jackson knew in life. But in passing, he’s earned it.

Funeral services for Calvin Jackson are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9, at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens. Legends don’t always make headlines. Sometimes, they just make people better. Rest easy, Coach. Your race is run but your legacy sprints on.