I am a University of Northern Colorado guy. I grew up in Greeley, CO watching the Bears, I briefly went to school there, and then was the stadium voice for the teams for a few years. There aren't many athletes from the school who went on to do the things Vincent Jackson did professionally, especially in a high profile position, like wide receiver. You see guys all the time from the Alabama's of the world, but he was that one guy from UNC in Greeley. I always got chills watching him on Monday Night Football when all the players said their colleges on TV, and he seemed so proud to be a Bear. Sadly the world lost Vincent Jackson at just 38.
After being a star football and basketball player at UNC, Jackson went on to play for both the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson was originally a 2nd round pick in 2005 and recorded nearly 10,000 yards in his career.
Vincent Jackson won the Bucs' Man of the Year honor four years in a row from 2013-16. His foundation, 'Action 83' worked closely with military families and especially military moms. He retired from the NFL after the 2016 season, having spent the last five of his 12 pro seasons in Tampa.
He was discovered by a housekeeper inside his room at the Homewood Suites hotel in Brandon, Florida (located in the Tampa area).
Officials say Jackson's family filed a missing persons report regarding the NFL star on February 11. He was located on Feb. 12 and cops spoke with him. "After assessing Jackson’s well-being, the missing persons case was canceled," officials say.
The medical examiner's office is working to determine the cause of death, though the sheriff's office says there are no apparent signs of trauma.