Howard Jackson:
2006 Honorary Award
Howard Jackson:
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Many of today’s martial artists may not have heard of Jackson, so I’ll provide a brief bio. I first met him in 1970 at a Four Seasons Karate Tournament in Torrance, California. I learned that he’d earned his black belt in Detroit. He’d competed in only two tournaments before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. While stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, he visited the Los Angeles area on weekends to enter local karate tournaments and hone his skills. Jackson never won any Four Seasons Tournament, but he managed to reach the semifinals. At that time, the competitions were dominated by Norris’ black belts, who seemed to take turns winning the grand championship. Jackson lost close matches to John Natividad, Darnell Garcia, and Bob and Ralph Alegria. After one particularly close loss, Jackson approached Norris and me, and we congratulated him. That’s when he broke down in tears and said: “Mr. Norris, I try so hard and I want to win so badly, but I keep failing. Maybe I’m just not meant to be a champion.” Norris answered: “Howard, a champion isn’t judged by how many trophies he’s won; he’s judged by his heart. As far as we’re concerned, you’re already a champion.” Jackson’s tears disappeared, and a smile took their place. Norris then invited him to join us, his black belts, in our regular workouts. Let me put that invitation in perspective: The Chuck Norris Black Belt Competition Team was the No. 1 fighting team in America and probably the world. We competed from 1968 to 1974 and never lost a match. We traveled all over the country and fought the top teams, some of them virtual all-star teams. In 1976 Mike Anderson rated the top 20 tournament fighters in Professional Karate magazine, and six of them were Norris black belts. Jackson was No. 1. I don’t recall him ever losing a match. Jackson began his individual fighting career on a national level in 1973, and before long every tournament fan knew who he was. In 1973 and ’74, he won the grand championship at Joe Corley’s Battle of Atlanta. In doing so, he prevailed in matches against Bill Wallace, Jeff Smith, Mike Warren and Fred Wren. In 1976 Jackson won first place at the Top Ten Nationals in St. Louis. The following year, he began a successful career in kickboxing. Realizing that the purses in kickboxing were only a fraction of what they were in boxing, Jackson shifted gears and became a pro boxer. Even though he started relatively late in life, he became the No. 6 fighter in the world in his weight class. Around the same time, Norris’ film career took off, and the rising star hired Jackson as his personal assistant. He also served as Norris’ workout partner and bodyguard. Norris couldn’t have had a more loyal and dedicated friend or employee. Their relationship lasted until Jackson’s death on March 7, 2006, at City of Hope Medical Center in Los Angeles. He’d fought a long, painful battle with leukemia. He acted courageously, always with the heart of a champion. I was able to see him almost every week, with the final visit occurring the day before he passed. Each time we parted, we expressed our love for each other. Because of his courage, humility and loyalty, the memory of Howard Jackson will live on in my heart, and now because of his induction into the Black Belt Hall of Fame, his memory will live forever in the hearts of martial artists around the world. (This profile originally appeared in the December 2006 issue of Black Belt.) |
