Rickey Jackson, Devin Hester playing in James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame golf tournament

By Craig Dolch
Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post

Two of the greatest football players from Palm Beach County – Rickey Jackson and Devin Hester – are the latest to commit to next month’s James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational at Broken Sound Club.

The unique tournament will feature 26 Pro Football Hall of Fame legends playing alongside 78 PGA Tour Champions players. The event is April 1-6 at The Old Course and will be televised on the Golf Channel.

Jackson was a star linebacker at Pahokee High School before becoming a standout at the University of Pittsburgh and a Hall of Famer with the New Orleans Saints. Jackson, a dominant force on the Saints’ “Dome Patrol” defense, had 128 career sacks and earned a Super Bowl victory with the San Francisco 49ers.

Hester was a star at Suncoast High School, where he played cornerback, receiver, return specialist and running back. He blossomed at the University of Miami, then was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Hester is widely regarded as the best return specialist in the game, setting a career record for most return TDs (20).

Jackson and Hester are joined by another local – receiver Cris Carter of Boca Raton – and running back Eric Dickerson as the latest commitments for the golf tournament.

Carter was an eight-time Pro Bowler who amassed 1,101 catches for 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns. Dickerson rushed for more than 13,000 yards and he holds the NFL’s single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984, which the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley almost broke last season.

These four NFL greats join an impressive list of already committed Pro Football Hall of Fame members, including James Lofton, Orlando Pace, Andre Reed, Tim Brown, Dan Fouts, Thurman Thomas, Marshall Faulk, Derrick Brooks, Steve Hutchinson, Roger Wehrli, John Randle, Mike Haynes, Anthony Muñoz, Demarcus Ware, Morten Andersen, Warren Sapp, Rondé Barber, Dwight Freeney and Calvin Johnson.

Some of the NFL stars will play in pro-am events on Wednesday and Thursday of tournament week. The team competition is Friday and Saturday with the golfers also playing their regular 54-hole event.