Chris Jackson: The Two-Sport Standout Now Doubling Up In Medical Sales and Blueberry Farming

Soul

May 31

“I think a couple of the big things that it taught me was being able to manage my time at a relatively high level and being able to compete in multiple things. That’s what I do now with working at a high level in medical device sales and running a b… — “I think a couple of the big things that it taught me was being able to manage my time at a relatively high level and being able to compete in multiple things. That’s what I do now with working at a high level in medical device sales and running a blueberry farm/wedding venue. So, being able to compete, being able to manage my time and trusting the process is important. I was also fortunate enough to play under some great coaches and with some great teammates that pushed you to be better.” - Chris Jackson

Chris Jackson, a New Orleans native, was a double-threat on LSU’s campus as a four-year letterwinner in football and a two-year letterwinner in baseball. He handled both punting and placekicking duties as a three-year starter for the football team from 2004 through 2006. In Chris’ junior season (2005), he was twice named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week (vs. Ole Miss, Arkansas) and once named National Special Teams Player of the Week (vs. Alabama). In his senior season (2006), he was a perfect 5-of-5 on PATs and successfully converted a pair of fake kicks, with one being a fake punt and the other being a fake field goal. Chris finished his football career ranked No. 5 in school history in career punting average (41.0).

He played two seasons with the baseball program, in 2005 and 2007 (he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2006). In his redshirt freshman season (2005), Chris appeared in 36 games, batted a .305 average and went 12-35 (.343) with runners in scoring position. He was named to the 2005 Freshman All-SEC Team and showed off his versatility on April 16 when he played in football’s spring game, then went across the street to Alex Box Stadium where he went 3-5 with a double and an RBI in a victory against Ole Miss. He arrived 30 minutes before first pitch and did not take batting practice or infield/outfield. In 2007, Jackson played in 36 games, starting 33 of them and finished as the team’s second-leading hitter, batting .292 on the year.

And then:

After graduating, Chris married his high school sweetheart, Lindsay, who also attended LSU and was a four-year member of the Golden Band from Tigerland as a Golden Girl. Once he hung up his cleats, Jackson worked with Pfizer as a pharmaceutical sales representative for about four years before switching to medical device sales.

And now:

Chris continues to work in medical device sales, selling surgical robots that assist surgeons in performing surgery; mainly the Da Vinci Surgical System, which does minimally invasive soft-tissue surgeries. In addition to his job in medical sales, Chris and his wife are also blueberry farmers having purchased a farm in Loranger, Louisiana. One of the unique things about his blueberry farm is that he’s the berry provider for LSU’s new Performance Nutrition Center for Student-Athletes. Named White Oak Fields, the Jacksons work with LSU executive chef Michael Johnson to supply blueberries to the nutrition center for student-athletes. The Jackson’s blueberry farm also hosts weddings and is open to the general public for picking during blueberry season.