OSU's top 10 players of the 2000s: #1 - Steven Jackson
OSU's third leading rusher, who left after just three seasons, was one of the most physically intimidating players to ever carry the football for the Beavers.
He was big (6-3, 223), fast and elusive. Steven Jackson truly had it all, and he was one of the most dominant running backs in the nation during his two years as a starter at OSU.
Jackson arrived at Oregon State as a high-profile recruit out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He was a ready-made prospect who contributed right away as a true freshman. Sharing carries with Ken Simonton in 2001, Jackson gained 390 yards on just 74 attempts, and he also scored five touchdowns.
The next year, his production shot through the roof. He rushed for more than 100-yards in each of his first two starts in 2002, and against Fresno State, Jackson showed off his elite talent to the tune of 227 yards and 2 touchdowns.
It was just the beginning of the best season ever by an OSU running back. Jackson topped the 200-yard mark again with 230 against Stanford, and he established a career high with 239 yards to go with three touchdowns against California.
Jackson ended his sophomore season with 1,690 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was an easy choice for first-team All-Pac-10, and he was also selected as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.
With defenses keying on Jackson in 2003, he still was dominant as a junior.
Jackson rushed cracked the 100-yard mark in each of OSU's first six games. That span included another spectacular effort against Cal, as Jackson rushed for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-21 victory for the Beavers.
That year OSU earned a Las Vegas Bowl berth, and in what amounted to a homecoming game for Jackson, he was at his best. In Mike Riley's bowl game debut, Jackson flattened the New Mexico Lobos.
He scored the game's first points on a 34-yard pass from Derek Anderson. But Jackson was just getting started. He scored four more times on the way to a 55-14 victory. He finished the game with 200 yards of total offense, 51-yards through the air and 149 on the ground. His five touchdowns were an OSU, NCAA bowl and Las Vegas Bowl record.
After the game Jackson announced that he would declare for the NFL Draft, becoming the first player in Oregon State history to leave school early for the NFL.
Jackson was drafted in the first round - 24th overall - by the St. Louis Rams in the 2004 NFL Draft.
