Treye Jackson remembers 1980 title team
By CRAIG MURPHY NDN Sports Writer, September 2008

He may have been the star running back, but that’s not how Treye Jackson saw himself — then or now. Instead, Jackson said he was simply one member of Newton’s 1980 4A state title football team. It was that team unity that helped Newton defeat Bettendorf in the 1980 title game. Jackson rushed for 111 yards that game but admits he wasn’t feeling 100 percent.

“I was sick that game,” Jackson recalled. “I wasn’t feeling too good. It just wasn’t one of my best games. A lot of us didn’t feel too good, but we got over the hump.” Over the hump and to the title. “I guess the highlight was the night we won the championship,” said Jackson, who graduated from Newton Senior High in 1981 and still lives in town. “We had a lot of good guys on the team, guys I grew up with. It was just one of those special years we had.”

Jackson noted it took a while for the team to start thinking about what could be accomplished in that 1980 season. “It was probably not until the middle of the season,” Jackson said. “We had trouble with Indianola, and a couple of other teams. When we beat Catholic Dowling (in the first round), we knew we would be there. There were some other tough games, but we knew if we beat Dowling we’d be in there.” In that playoff game, Jackson had two big runs around the end as the Cards took the win and advanced. “That was a heck of a game,” Jackson said. “It was a hard-played game.”

According to Jackson, the recipe for success was simple. “It was just our ability to play together as a team,” he said. “We talked a lot. We had played with each other since we were little kids. Coming together in the huddle, we would tell each other we had each other’s backs. “We were really a team-oriented team,” Jackson emphasized. “Even though I was spotlighted somewhat, that’s not how we were as a team. We spent a lot of time together outside the field.” Jackson noted that on some teams players yell at each other, which causes division. On the 1980 Newton team, teammates could yell at each other but quickly move forward. “That’s what we did,” he said. “It brought us together a lot. Our main thing was if you don’t play as a team, you’re not going to win. I still apply those lessons today.”

While at Newton, Jackson wasn’t known just for his prowess on the field. He was also one of the country’s top sprinters, establishing a long-standing mark of 10.5 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He won the 100-, 200-and 400-meter dash state titles in the same day, the only Iowa high school athlete to do that. “Running and football pretty much go hand in hand, I believe,” Jackson said. “You still use the track abilities in football. But you’ve got to know how to use your speed. You can’t just run 100 mph. I used my speed and ability to outmaneuver opponents.”

Upon graduation Jackson, now 46, played football at Iowa a couple of years before finishing his studies at Wyoming. He then went to Australia, doing both football and track for several years before returning to Newton. Jackson is still good friends with teammates Steve Morris and Ed Ergenbright, the current Newton head football coach. The bond from nearly 30 years ago remains. “We always did things together, even as little kids,” Jackson said. “That translates to the field. You know each other, and you know that he’s going to be there on a certain play. That’s another reason why we won the title. If you play by yourself or for yourself, you lose sight of the team. “It’s all about togetherness, that’s the most important thing,” he added. “The key thing is teamwork.”