Fred Jackson ( American football ) Frederick George " Fred " Jackson ( born February 20 , 1981 ) is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League . He attended Lamar High School in Arlington , Texas . Jackson is known for his versatility and elusiveness , he is currently one of six team captains on the Buffalo Bills . High school career . Jackson attended Lamar High School ( Arlington , Texas ) and although he was a member of the powerful Lamar Vikings teams of the late 1990s , he never started a game in his two years on the varsity team because he was considered too small ( 5 - 8 , 160 pounds ) and too slow . He began his senior year as a third - string running back , and only after a knee injury to starter Justin Faust ( headed to Stanford ) , was he elevated to second - string behind Tommicus Walker ( headed to TCU ) . During his senior year , 13 of his teammates signed letters of intent to play college football , but he didn ' t receive any offers . Instead , Wayne Phillips , his Nichols Junior High School football coach , arranged for him and his brother to enroll into Coe College , a Division III school that doesn ’ t offer athletic scholarships . Later in life , Phillips would help Jackson again recommending him to Coe alumnus Marv Levy . College career . Jackson played college football at Coe College , a Division III school . He was named to five All - American teams in 2002 , rushing for 1 , 702 yards and 29 touchdowns . He was a two - time Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP for the Kohawks . He graduated in 2003 with a degree in sociology . Professional career . Sioux City Bandits . After trying out for the Chicago Bears , Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers , and being seen as too small a player for the NFL ( 6 ' 1 but only 195 lbs . ) , he went on to play indoor football for the Sioux City Bandits where he earned $ 200 a week . Jackson played two seasons for the Bandits in the National Indoor Football League ( 2004 ) and United Indoor Football ( 2005 ) . He was named the 2005 UIF co - MVP in 2005 , as in 18 games he ran for 1 , 770 yards and scored 53 touchdowns ( 40 rushing , 11 pass receiving and 2 on kick returns ) . During this time he also worked as a youth counselor at Four Oaks to make ends meet . His jersey number was retired by the Sioux City Bandits in 2008 . While with the Bandits in 2004 , Jackson ' s childhood home in Arlington , Texas was torn down to make way for Cowboys Stadium , which replaced Texas Stadium as the home of the Dallas Cowboys in 2009 . Jackson played in his former neighborhood on November 13 , 2011 when the Bills faced the Cowboys . Rhein Fire . Jackson played in NFL Europa for the Rhein Fire in 2006 , leading the team with 731 rushing yards . Buffalo Bills . Jackson was invited to training camp with the Buffalo Bills in 2006 by Bills general manager Marv Levy , a Coe alumnus himself . He made his first career start against the Washington Redskins in 2007 , rushing for 82 yards while catching four passes for 69 yards in a Bills victory . He became the first Division III running back to start an NFL game since December 24 , 2000 , when former Ferrum College running back Chris Warren started for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Cincinnati Bengals . In a 2007 victory over the Miami Dolphins , Jackson rushed for 115 yards with a long of 27 yards to top the 100 - yard rushing mark for the first time in his NFL career . Teammate Marshawn Lynch rushed for 107 yards , marking the first time the Buffalo Bills had two players rush for 100 - plus yards in the same game since 1996 when Thurman Thomas and Darick Holmes accomplished the feat . Before the 2009 season , Jackson signed a 4 - year contract extension to stay with the Bills . In 2009 , after winning the starting job from Lynch in Week 12 , Jackson eclipsed the 1 , 000 - yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 1 , 062 yards and 2 touchdowns . He also set a career high in catches with 46 for 371 yards and 2 more scores and also completed a 27 - yard touchdown pass . Jackson also had 1 , 014 kickoff return yards making him the first player in NFL history to compile 1 , 000 rushing and 1 , 000 kickoff return yards . The 2 , 516 combined yards are the fifth highest all - purpose yards total in NFL history . In Week 17 of the 2009 season , versus the Indianapolis Colts , Jackson had a career day with 212 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown . After the season , Jackson was named to the USA Today All - Joe Team for his quality play . After Week 10 of the 2010 NFL Season , Fred was named Fedex Ground Player of the Week . In 2011 , Jackson was having his best season to date , as the team ' s undisputed starting running back . Jackson had six 100 - yard rushing games in the first ten weeks . During a Week Eleven loss to Miami , however , Jackson suffered a fractured fibula . Jackson was placed on Injured Reserve later in the week , and missed the remainder of the season . At the time of his injury , Jackson ' s 934 yards were third in the NFL . The Bills had already been on a three - game losing streak when Jackson was injured , but lost all games but one for the rest of the 2011 season without Jackson . On May 5 , 2012 Fred Jackson signed a 2 - year contract extension , keeping him with the Bills until 2015 . In week 1 of the 2012 season , Jackson injured a knee ligament . Coach Chan Gailey estimated Jackson would miss " a few weeks " of the season .