Marcus Jackson had been going to the ballpark and playing the game he loved since he was seven years old.  As the reality of that every day routine began to set in, he found a similar passion to fill that void as his career as a student-athlete at Eastern Illinois came to a close in 2004.

Like many former athletes the love for the game continues well beyond their playing days.  The burning question for many remains; how do I stay involved?

For Jackson his route to stay involved actually came from the time demands placed on him with his academic and athletic schedules.

"I had an interest in getting involved with radio and TV when I entered school and picked communication studies as a major.  However devoting so much time to baseball, it was hard to get very involved at WEIU.  I took Journalism and Democracy with Howard Price during the spring of my freshman year and got really fascinated by all things journalism (newspapers and digital media)," said Jackson.  "After taking some more journalism courses and doing well writing stories, I decided to go the newspaper route.  I wrote for the Daily Eastern News for one year and at the Illinois Collegiate Press Association Awards in Chicago, I met Dan Corkery from the Champaign News-Gazette who offered me an internship.  I have been here ever since."

In his role at the News-Gazette, Jackson has been able to keep that connection to all thing sports working as a reporter in the sports department and for a time serving as the beat writer for the University of Illinois.  In that role he has been able to have front row seats to Big Ten basketball and football games while interacting with coaches, student-athletes and their families.  One of his favorite memories was a chance encounter with a football legend.

"I was covering the Rose Bowl in 2007 and I saw Dick Butkus at the Illinois practice.  He's an intimidating figure and being a young reporter at the time, I was nervous to interrupt him for an interview.  I noticed all the veteran reporters shared my apprehension.   After a few minutes, I went for it and said 'Mr. Butkus, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?'  He looked at me for a few seconds and then said, "What the (expletive) took you so long?!?"

It was those types of priceless encounters that Jackson might not have dreamed about as a young student-athlete at EIU hailing from the Chicago suburbs where he attended Thornwood High School.  In fact early in his career Jackson struggled personally despite the success his team had.   However with some encouragement and drive he finished his playing days on a high note.

"Winning the Ohio Valley Conference title during my freshman season (2001) was a fun ride.  We started out 17-0 in conference play and finished that season 19-1.  I learned a lot about commitment to the sport and leadership from the older players on that team.   That helped a lot during my senior year (2004) when we started the season 1-14 with a line-up consisting of a majority of freshmen and first-year players.  We were able to rebound, finish the season close to .500 and finish second in the OVC that season."

Jackson was a part of that success his senior year as he teamed with two players that would be drafted that season (Kyle Haines and Chris Uhle) to help EIU hit over .300 as a team.  Personally Jackson hit .305 increasing that average to .337 during league play as he scored 47 runs.  That was a dramatic turnaround for the outfielder who had not hit over .210 in his previous three seasons on the squad.   Jackson credits some personal drive and a pair of coaches with that final year success.

"I had two coaches that helped me with that success.  I can't thank head coach Jim Schmitz enough as he stuck with me.  I struggled mightily early in my career but he stuck with me and helped turn it around.  We had an assistant coach during my junior year, Matt Husted, who I really connected with.  He challenged me to live up to my potential both academically and athletically.  I accepted that challenge my senior year and succeeded.  I have always been thankful to him for that."

Success has indeed followed Jackson during his decade working at the News-Gazette.  He has been a part of the sports staff that annually produces one of the top sports sections in the nation as rated by the Associated Press Sports Editors.  He was the News-Gazette's Employee of the Year in 2009 and in 2014 was the runner-up for the National Sports Media Association's Illinois Sports Writer of the Year.  He finished second behind noted Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander.

The hard work that has led to those awards comes from a work ethic first learned from going to the ballpark at a young age but finely honed during his days as a student-athlete at EIU.

"The responsibility that comes with being a student-athlete is something that comes into play in the real world.  You've got to be good at managing time and being on top of things personally and professionally.  In this profession, there are deadlines to meet almost daily and multiple assignments to juggle.  Being able to relate to student-athletes has been beneficial to me.  I can understand to a certain extent what they are going through and I feel like that's provided me a bit of a leg up on some other sports writers who may not have had that student-athlete experience."

Like any business, sports and sports writing are about building relationships.  As a former student-athlete Jackson built the camaraderie with not only his baseball teammates but many student-athletes from other sports.  To this day he says they still will connect on Facebook and remember a game or moment that sparks a vivid memory of their time in Charleston.

For Jackson some of his upcoming memories will take him away from the playing field as he transitions into a new role at the Champaign News-Gazette, one that will see him serving as a community reporter.  That role is something Jackson is embracing as it will take him on a new path, something that could have a similar impact as that freshman journalism class taught by Howard Price had all those years ago.

"I enjoy interacting with people from all walks of life on a daily basis.  I grew up in the suburbs and my current role with the paper calls for me to deal with people living/working on farms who have had much different life experiences than I have had.  I am enjoying seeing things from a different perspective."