Since 1972 the IATC has inducted coaches and athletes into their Hall of Fame who have won multiple state titles, were state champions in more than one sport, went on to achieve collegiate All American honors, made Olympic teams, and the list goes on and on.
Today, on December 7, 2013, we have an inductee who holds the oldest overall state meet record in a running event, led his high school football team to a state title and rushed for over 100 yards in a game for the Iowa Hawkeyes. This inductee is Newton High School’s Treye Jackson.
Treye won state titles in the 100 and 200 as a junior for the Cardinals, but it was the accomplishments of his senior year that established him as one of the state’s best ever and created a national buzz about his talents.
In the fall of 1980, Jackson led Newton to its first and only state championship in football, a 28-14 victory over Bettendorf. Despite being a bit under the weather, Jackson rushed for 111 yards in leading Newton to the win and 12-0 record.
But it was in the spring of ’81 that Jackson had a track season that would be the envy of most. He was undefeated in both the 100 and 200; he took on the best of all classes at the Drake Relays and came away with a coveted Drake Relays watch for winning the 100 meter final and at the 1981 state meet he won the 100, 200 and the 400, all in the same day. His career best of 48.5 in the 400 is on the Iowa high school all time list. In the 200 his hand held time of 21.2 and FAT of 21.51 are both in the top 9 of all time. In the 100 his hand held career best of 10.3 and FAT of 10.7 are in the top 7 of all time. He ran 10.5 in the prelims at the 1981 state meet and 33 years later that performance is still the all time overall state meet record.
Treye was a high school All American in both football and track and field while competing for Newton and was selected to participate in the Shrine Bowl and the AAU Jr. Olympics in Seoul South Korea.
After college he moved to Australia and competed in both track and football. He is back in his home state, near his hometown, living in Kellogg with his wife Jennifer and daughter Monet, and running his own floor care business.
I asked Treye’s close friend, high school teammate and current Newton football coach Ed Ergenbright if there was one word that would describe Treye Jackson and without hesitation he said: “Special”.
“He is a special friend and he was a special athlete. He longed jumped over 20 ft in 7th grade and ran a 51 flat quarter in 8th grade, on a cinder track! That’s special. He and I grew up in the same neighborhood, have been friends since first grade and he is very deserving of this award!!