Russ Jackson
He redefined the quarterback position in Canada, combining a physicist's intellect with a cannon arm to become the standard for homegrown talent.
Born 1936 (age 90)·Canadian football player·Birthday: July 28·The Silent Generation
Biography
In a league where the quarterback spot was often filled by American imports, Russ Jackson stood as a brilliant, defiant exception. The Hamilton-born player was a cerebral force for the Ottawa Rough Riders, his entire 12-year career a statement of Canadian excellence. He wasn't just a game manager; he was the game's author, calling his own plays with a strategic mind honed as a schoolteacher and principal in the off-season. Jackson possessed a powerful, accurate throwing arm at a time when Canadian football emphasized the run, and he used it to win three Grey Cups. His 1969 season remains the stuff of legend, earning him the CFL's Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian awards simultaneously—a feat that underscored his dual dominance. He retired at his peak, leaving as the embodiment of what a Canadian quarterback could achieve: intelligence, leadership, and sheer, championship-winning skill.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Russ was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Russ Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Russ's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Age 90 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three Grey Cup championships with the Ottawa Rough Riders (1960, 1968, 1969).
- Is the only player to have won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian awards in the same season (1969).
- Named a CFL All-Star four times and was the league's passing leader on three occasions.
- Inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Did You Know?
He was a high school math and physical education teacher, and later a principal, during his off-seasons.
He turned down multiple offers to play in the NFL, choosing to stay in the CFL.
His #12 jersey is one of only seven numbers retired by the Ottawa Renegades/Rough Riders franchise.
In 2006, TSN ranked him as the 8th greatest CFL player of the modern era, the highest-ranked Canadian on the list.
“A quarterback must see the field three plays ahead.”
