Pasha Jackson Journal No. 4

This is the fourth installment of the Pasha Jackson journal and this week I'm going to answer some of your questions you emailed in. Click on the link at the end of this page to email more questions for next week's journal.

First, I am going to talk a little bit about the bye week and then the Big 12 opener at Iowa State this weekend.

Pasha Jackson
Journal Entry No. 4 (Oct. 1, 2003)
The bye week was everything we wanted the bye week to be -- even going to class on Friday was great. Without football to worry about for a couple of days you start to appreciate all the little things as you walk around campus; the breeze blowing, the squirrels climbing up trees and the sun shining, all that good stuff we take for granted everyday.

Over the weekend my boys and I had a chance to cut the grass and do all the things we never get a chance to do around the house during a game week. Nothing big over the weekend, just chilling and enjoying the little time off we get.

Now we need to get serious again because we have Iowa State coming up. It's going to be a fun game to open up Big 12 play, but it's going to be a real serious game as well, especially on the road with 55,000-60,000 fans screaming against you.

Recently, you see all over the country top teams getting upset and it is amazing. It reminds you that no opponent can be taken lightly. Nobody is unbeatable and USC proved that as one of the "Cali" teams knocked them off. Normally I do not get to watch much football on TV, but when one of my "Cali" teams is playing and I am not, you can bet I am catching those games. The USC vs. Cal game was unbelievable.

We go into the Iowa State game just like any other contest and that is with two outcomes: you have the possibility of losing and the possibility of winning. This week of practice is going to be real crucial and I believe this team is going to rise to the occasion like we have done all the way up to this point in the season.

They have a young quarterback that can hurt you on the ground and in the air. He seems to be improving each game he plays and he has a good receiving corps to accompany him. So all we can do is prepare like we do every week, take this game as serious as any other and do what we do best.

That's enough about football, let's dive into some of these questions, and here is first one:

Pasha, have you always worn No. 53?
- Jason from Yukon, Okla.

When I first came to OU, I wore No. 8. That was the number I wore in JUCO and I wanted to keep it. However, like everyone knows, Nate Hybl wore eight last year and we were actually suppose to share the honor. But some complications arose and the time came for me to choose a new number. So coach Venables came up with some options for me and as soon as I saw No. 53 on the list, I knew that was the one.

Reasoning behind that is simple. First reason: five plus three adds up to eight, nothing too in-depth about that. Second reason: I grew up in south central Los Angeles on 53rd Street and Vermont Street. So my current number is a tribute of sorts to my hometown. I always believed you should have some reasoning behind the number you wear and those are mine. Actually after Nate left, I had the option of switching back but I was doing fine with No. 53 and I thought No. 8 looked good on Donte (Nicholson). We were both doing well with our respective numbers, so no need to mix things up.

I love the name Pasha, where did your parents choose it?
- Mary Anne from Oklahoma City

The origin of the name Pasha is funny because it took my dad a while to come up with it and when I say that, I mean after I was born, not before. So, on my birth certificate, I go by "Baby Boy" Jackson on one and on my Chicago one, it just says "Blank, Blank." So, it is needless to say that whenever I need to take care of things that involves my birth certificate, it is a pain because I have to get letters notarized and people ask all kinds of questions.

Anyway, the word has a Turkish origin and it means "one who is destined to rule." So a lot of the great rulers were tabbed that and my dad like that and that was the end of it. They actually have a couple of restaurants in the Bay area (California) named Pasha, and they have belly dancers and the whole deal. So I think the name is pretty cool and it is definitely something I take pride in.

Are your coaches on top of your grades? I just wonder if the coaches really push you guys on the books like they do on the field?
- Carolyn from Honolulu, Hawaii

Around here, if there is time off -- like we had this weekend -- that implies to football and not school. With Coach Venables, if there is time taken off (from studies), then it means 2,000 yards of "ups and downs" (sprints)! The coaches are really on top of things here and monitor everything. If you miss a class for whatever reason, you can be sure someone on the coaching staff knows about it and will be tracking you down to find out why.

As far as college athletes go, it is not easy to always make it to class. And I am not saying athletes are lazy or that athletes skip class or whatever. But you have to have the mindset that I am a student-athlete and not just an athlete. We are attending college for a reason and that is to get our education, and being an athlete comes after that. The coaches do a good job of keeping us going, which requires a lot of energy on both ends. But like I said in a previous journal, you have to be a master of your time schedule and that is what it comes down to when balancing good grades with playing sports. I want to perform just as well in the classroom as I do on the field and I am proud to say I have never been below a 3.33 GPA

Well, that's all for this week, don't forget to email me some more questions by clicking on the link below. Hope to see a lot of Crimson & Cream in Ames and GO SOONERS!

Pasha

- #53 Pasha Jackson

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