Jackson, 43, is survived by his parents and siblings.
“We’re all grieving for the Jackson and Oregon families,” said MCLA president Ken Lovic. “Charlie was the MCLA through-and-through, and he impacted a lot of young men’s lives in a positive way. He will be missed by all of us.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Jackson family tonight as we learned about the passing of our head coach, Charlie Jackson, earlier today. We ask that you keep them in your thoughts. pic.twitter.com/VON69ewsg2
— Oregon Mens Lacrosse (@UOlacrosse) February 12, 2020
A GoFundMe has been set up in Jackson’s name. As of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, it has raised $3,800. To view the GoFundMe, click here.
Jackson started his MCLA career at Chico State in 2010, posting a 3-9 record. In his second season, the Wildcats were 11-6 and then 8-5 in 2012.
In 2013, Jackson took over at San Diego State where he led a resurgence for the Aztecs. SDSU had four-straight winning seasons under Jackson’s guidance, including the 2015 campaign that saw the Aztecs qualify for the national championships for the first time in program history.
In his four years with San Diego State, he amassed a 48-21 mark.
After a two-year hiatus, Jackson returned to the MCLA with the Ducks in 2019, winning the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) title in his first year along with an 8-5 mark.
Jackson’s last game was an Oregon victory over PNCLL rival Washington State on Feb. 7. His career record was 79-46.
“This was sudden and as unexpected as possible,” said Oregon offensive coordinator Nick LaMay, who will act as the interim coach. “We are heartbroken and our thoughts are with his family. We will do our best to honor his memory and legacy through our resilience and play. We ask that those in contact with his family and friends are respectful of their space.”
To honor Jackson’s memory, Oregon will be making its trip to Southern California this weekend. The Ducks will face San Diego State on Thursday before squaring off with Arizona and USC in the Pac-12 Shootout at UCLA.