Although football has changed in the 20 years since Husson University added the sport prior to the 2003 season. A tradition of excellence, humility and leadership has stuck around since its founding days and has continued to blossom year after year. 

When you look back on the growth of the program and its journey to becoming a top team in the New England region, much of the Eagles success today can be traced back to that very first 2003 season and the Husson Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023’s newest member Jason Jack ’06. 

“I was actually a little surprised,” said Jack on his call from Coach Nat Clark. “I really haven't thought about football probably since I left there. I was very honored when he told me. I thought about all the years I was there, all the work that we put in and I’m very appreciative.”

“It means the world to me to know that I'm still being thought of 18 years later,” Jack continued. “I think back to all the people that were involved in all of this, all the teammates. I probably had a hundred teammates, coach Clark, coach Price and all of the other coaches we had, it means a lot to me.”

One of the most impactful leaders in Husson football program history, Jack exemplified what it means to be a Husson guy. A true leader in every sense of the word, Jack put the team first and oftentimes on his back and did everything he could to help the program become successful. 

When Maine Sports Hall of Fame coach Gabby Price and now head coach Nat Clark — an assistant for Price when Husson added football — were looking for players for their inaugural season in 2003, ultimately one of the greatest leaders and players in program history was already attending Husson. 

Jack, a 2002 graduate of Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School was a freshman at Husson in the fall of 2002 when Price and Clark were recruiting players to begin the program. Little did they know that a conversation between Clark and Jack in the weight room one day would spark a connection that would propel a football program to the success it has today. 

This same conversation led to Jason joining the Eagles and helping lay the foundation in 2002 that would become the inaugural team in 2003. With Jack as a leader, Husson hit the ground running, scrimmaging through the 2002 season before officially taking the field on Sept. 13, 2003 against Alfred State College for the first official game in program history. Although Husson would lose that game and go on to finish the season 0-7, a football tradition was started that led to the Eagles finishing 2-7 in 2004 and 4-4 in 2005. 

“Our first year we went 0-7,” Jack joked. “I'll never forget that. But my last year we went 4-4 and those two things stand out to me. The progress that we made. I go to a game now, 18 years later and I’ve been to a few games over the years and I see the program now. The atmosphere around there has just grown so much, it's unbelievable. Nat and coach Price really built that program from the ground up.”

In 2004, with Jack at fullback, Mike Prentiss became the first 1,000-yard rusher in program history, tallying 1,222 yards on 245 carries with Jack leading that way. That same season, Jason finished second on the team with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown, while catching nine passes for 97 yards. While his stats might not jump off the page, like many hall of fame members of the past, Jack did his work in the trenches, getting the call on third and short or having a pass thrown his way in a crucial first-down situation. 

“Thinking back, a lot of these guys that have gone in the hall of fame have a lot of stats, there are a few that haven't,” Jack mentioned. “I think there have been a few offensive linemen here and there. My glory was just helping our backs get into the end zone, kind of like all the linemen. When I came to Husson, I played tight end in high school. I remember coach Price coming up to me after camp that first year and saying ‘Hey, what do you think about fullback’? Which I responded, ‘whatever you want me to do.’”

“I'd never played fullback until I got to Husson,” Jack continued. “But I blocked for some phenomenal backs like Mike Prentiss who was the first 1,000-yard rusher and Julius Williams for several seasons who was another great back.”

Jason consistently came through in big situations for the Eagles, earning the reputation from his teammates and coaches as arguably the greatest team player in a team sport. It’s because of this, that Jason has earned his enshrinement into the Husson Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023. 

His call to the hall of fame was both surprising and humbling and a part of his life that he credits to making him the man and family man he is today. 

“I met my wife there,” Jack reminisced. “I met some of my best friends, coach Clark, coach Price. Those guys are the ultimate leaders of Husson football. I’ve had so many coaches through the years, but those two are the face of Husson. … Husson kind of shaped my life, if you think about it, my wife now, I have two kids. I have a bunch of friends from school. Football was wonderful, don't get me wrong, but I got way more out of life from Husson than I did from football itself.”

Since bulldozing defenders in the Eagles ground-and-pound run game, Jason has used the education that he gained at Husson in the business program to pursue a career as a credit officer with TD Bank. He met his wife Alecia while at Husson and now has two sons, Bryson and Dawson and remains appreciative to the bonds he built during his time with the green and gold.