One experience in life can go on to shape your entire world. Even more so, that experience can go on to guide multiple generations of your family.
That is the case for Simone Jackson and her great-grandfather back in the 1930s and 40s.
The story, like so many others from the time, stems from systematic racism in sports. Jackson's great-grandfather wanted to join his high school swim class. He knew how and just wanted a chance to swim with his friends. So he introduced himself to the swim coach at his school, ready to join.
But that chance never came. The coach wouldn't allow him in the pool.
Instead, the coach gave him an A in the class and sent him on his way. No explanation. That's just how it was.
"That's a story that's passed down from generation to generation now," Jackson told OrlandoPride.com. "It went to my grandfather, who became a coach, which is where things started for us in sports."
That story became the foundation of everything that followed. Jackson's grandfather took his father's rejection and channeled it into building something bigger. He traveled through North Carolina during hard times, coaching football and taking his family with him, his wife, Jackson's aunt and her father, moving from place to place until he eventually landed in Southern California at USC. There, John Jackson Sr. became USC football’s running backs coach and offensive coordinator from 1976-81, where he coached two Heisman winners, including running back and eventual Super Bowl MVP Marcus Allen.
"That's our pride and joy," Jackson said. "That's where our roots started."
Growing up around that legacy shaped Jackson's father, John Jackson Jr. He fell in love with sports watching his own father work. He became a wide receiver, maybe not the tallest at his position at 5'11", but he was fast and relentless. Naturally, he went to USC, played football and baseball, and was an academic and athletic All-American during his time there. Then came the NFL—the Arizona Cardinals (known back then as the Phoenix Cardinals) and the Chicago Bears, while also spending time in minor league baseball. After that, he coached Simone's older brother's Pop Warner team.
The pattern continued. Jackson's older brother, John Jackson III, became the next generation to attend USC, played football, wore number 80—the same number his father wore in the NFL. He ended up playing for the Bears as well, a serendipitous moment for the Jackson family.
Then came Simone.
She, too, naturally went to USC and wore number 80 to twin with them both. It's something that she made sure when she could choose her number heading into this year, she switched from number 35 to 80, so that her family is always with her on gamedays.
"My brother playing for USC football and me playing for USC soccer at the same time—that was peak," Jackson said. "That is a dream. We lived the dream."
The family's athletic lineage doesn't stop there. Jackson's younger brother, Jaden, is set to enter the MLB High School Draft as the number one player in his class, headed to rival school UCLA for baseball. He competed for Team USA at the U-18 World Baseball tournament in Japan, where the team won gold in Okinawa. It just so happened that where they played the gold medal game was the same base where Jackson's grandfather was stationed decades ago.
"It's crazy how God works," Jackson said. "The crazy crossovers. You're competing for your country and your grandfather served at that base that you were visiting. We've just been super blessed."
While the athletic side of the family was prominent, Jackson's mother, an educator who ran track in high school and went to noted USC rival UCLA, made sure athletics never overshadowed academics. She emphasized being successful at more than athletics.
"My mom being an educator, she was always really big on not just being an athlete, but being more than an athlete and putting academics first," Jackson said. "That's why I knew I was going to stay at USC for all four years. I got my joint degree in business and film, my minor in screenwriting, and my master's in entrepreneurship, all in four years."
Growing up in a family of elite athletes could have been overwhelming, but from Jackson's perspective, it never felt like that. In fact, it was more nurturing and supportive than pressure. Her older brother went through everything first, "the guinea pig," as she calls him, paving the way for both Simone and Jaden.
"It was never a pressure-filled childhood," she said. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't force it to drink. My family led us to every resource we needed, and we're super grateful. Ultimately, because they gave us that choice and opportunities off the field, I could quit tomorrow and still lead an entirely happy, joyful, and successful life. Knowing that makes me even better at my sport. Knowing that this isn't it for me, and this is part of my purpose but not the entire purpose, takes pressure off."
That mentality stems back to her mother, who drove an hour and a half down the 405 to take Jackson to practice, who woke up early to shuttle her brother to 5 or 6 a.m. sessions, who made California Pizza Kitchen dinners in the minivan feel like a home-cooked meal.
"You just have to pick your head up and look at perspective," Jackson said. "All those minivan treks were worth it, but it was also only possible because they did as much as they did for us."
It's those gestures and life lessons that keep Jackson going now into her second season with the Pride. The last three generations of her family have given her so much to learn from and hold onto, not just on the pitch, but also in shaping her mentality off it.
"Persistence is in your blood," Jackson said. "You have to persist. It may not be fair, but at the end of the day, your ancestors have done so much to put you in that position. My great-grandfather's perseverance through what he dealt with led my grandfather to keep knocking on the door. That work rate translated to my dad, and he showed us what humble, hard work looks like and how you succeed."
Success wasn't necessarily a given for Jackson. Being a Black athlete in soccer comes with its own challenges. She's experienced moments when she's been the only Black player on her team, navigating spaces that weren't always welcoming. But she powered through, breaking out with USC and earning a contract with the Pride midway through last year after finishing her degree in the first half of the season.
Speaking of that degree, Jackson double majored in both business and film, while minoring in screenwriting. Her love for storytelling all connected back to her mother's insistence on being more than an athlete. She grew up watching John Singleton's "Boyz n the Hood," Spike Lee's "Malcolm X," and Denzel Washington films on repeat. She understands the power of representation, the importance of telling stories that matter.
"It's the reason I wear my hair natural, poofy and beautiful," Jackson said. "So little Black girls can look at me and see themselves in me. That's something that I definitely had hardship from. Hearing people tell me that, I was only on the team because I was Black. You do it for the girl who is growing up watching you.
"I'm a big person on giving back to the game. After the games, I'm taking pictures, and I train with the girls when I go back home. That's why I think you pay it forward, even if it was a little bit cumbersome growing up and feeling like you're the only one. But now you see the space filling up with more and more African Americans playing, and I think it's beautiful. So I'm a full supporter of getting more and more people in the space."
Jackson's great-grandfather couldn't swim with his peers. Now, his great-granddaughter plays professional soccer, carries a degree from USC, and represents her family's journey every time she steps on the field.
"My family is my why," Jackson said. "I'm really adamant about that."
