On Monday, the basketball community received sad news when we learned that former Texas Longhorns’ star player, Tiffany Jackson, passed away at 37 after battling cancer.
Jackson was a Texas high school basketball star.
At Duncanville High School, she was both a McDonald’s All-American and a WBCA All-American. She helped the team win the 2003 state championship, was ranked as the No. 2 prospect nationally and was named the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year.
She took her talents to the University of Texas and became one of the greatest players in Longhorns’ basketball history.
According to TexasSports.com, Jackson is the only player in program history in the 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks club; she amassed 1,917 points (5th in school history), 1,039 rebounds (4th), 313 steals (3rd) and 181 blocks (7th).
She’s also only one of five players in the 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds club.
The 2004 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and 3x All-American took her talents to the WNBA, where she was selected by the New York Liberty with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft. Over nine seasons, she played with the Liberty, Tulsa Shock and LA Sparks.
In 2015, Jackson was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. A year later, she learned the cancer was in remission, after which she restarted her basketball career.
She started playing professionally in Israel and then eventually re-signed with the Sparks in 2017.
In May 2018, Jackson retired and returned to her Alma mater as an assistant basketball coach for two years.
She then became the head coach at NAIA school Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.
Unfortunately, Jackson’s battle with cancer returned sometime later, and last night she passed away.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Tiffany Jackson, one of the greatest players in the history of Texas Women’s Basketball,” Texas Head Coach Vic Schaefer said. “From her days as a player for DFW Elite to her days as a player at The University of Texas, Tiffany has meant so much to so many people in this great state of Texas. I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season. She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family.”
RIP Tiffany Jackson.
