NFL Hall Of Famer Rickey Jackson Gets College Degree At 65

PITTSBURGH, PA — Rickey Jackson left the University of Pittsburgh in 1980 to embark on a remarkable NFL career with the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers that catapulted him to the Hall of Fame.

Forty-three years later, he returned to Pitt recently as one of 2,500 students to graduate as part of the Class of 2023. Jackson, 65, received a degree in social sciences from the College of General Studies.

Jackson was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time NFL forced fumbles leader and was a member of the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIX. He is in the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and a member of the team's Ring of Honor.

His NFL career was stellar, but the fact that he never received his degree gnawed at him. He finally decided to take the two history classes he needed to obtain it, which he was able to do online.

“I was so close to it that it made no sense to not get it," Jackson told Pittwire.

How would he compare receiving his diploma to his considerable NFL achievements?

“I’d put it up with the Super Bowl and all,” he said. “This is something I achieved personally on my own, so I’d put it right up with that.”