Coach Zo Jackson is Living Proof of the O’Dea Brotherhood

SEATTLE- Coach Zo Jackson has spent 17 years in the halls of O’Dea but for him, the O’Dea brotherhood extends beyond the school itself.

As a former student and a current coach and employee of the school, he knows the impact the brotherhood has had on him, and he is now helping the young men at O'Dea grow and develop in the way he was able.

“The brotherhood means being accountable for each other, someone who always got your back. It’s the people you can count on, and I still got friends to this day.”

This O’Dea brotherhood is something that is lifelong, and it is easy to recognize in the way that the football team plays under legacy coach Monte Kohler.

The players play for each other, not themselves. Their individual goals and accomplishments come second to the team's. This team concept is sometimes lost in sports these days, but not at O'Dea. Jackson recognizes it as the same mentality he had as an Irish player.

“The only thing that has changed is [the current] guys got better uniforms than us, but we still run the same stuff. The intensity is still there,” said Jackson.

This high motor, intense, beat down offense that O’Dea runs proves how strong their brotherhood is. The play physical and would fight through anything for their brothers to their left and right. The lineman put their bodies on the line for their running back.

But this special bond that O’Dea has moves past just football.

“My two best friends to this day...I played football for four years with those guys.”

Jackson as a coach brings an aspect to the team unlike no other. He understands what the players are going through and the situations they are in because he was in those same shoes not too long ago.

Jackson coaches football, basketball, and track at O’Dea He has influenced the way he coaches from being a player at the school.

“Ï try to help all the guys that I’m coaching understand that you don’t have to always be this button up type guy, you can be yourself.”

Coach Zo Jackson is an incredible example of the O’Dea brotherhood, and he lives that out every day.