'It was surreal': Tucson Sugar Skulls DC Xzavie Jackson lands IFL Hall of Fame honor

When Xzavie Jackson heard his phone ring, he picked it up and saw Indoor Football League commissioner Todd Tryon’s name on the screen. Uh-oh.

Jackson, the Tucson Sugar Skulls’ defensive coordinator, assumed the worst but hoped for the best. He answered and was met with an IFL Hall of Fame induction for his playing career with the Cedar Rapids Titans and Nebraska Danger.

Jackson will be inducted on Aug. 4, the night before the IFL championship game at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.

“It was surreal,” Jackson said on ESPN Tucson ahead of the Sugar Skulls’ game against the Vegas Knight Hawks Saturday night at Tucson Arena. “Todd called me, and I was like, ‘What is he calling me for, you know? Like, am I in trouble or something? Do something wrong?’

“And he was like, ‘Man, congratulations, you’re inducted (into the IFL Hall of Fame).’ It got surreal, and it really opened my eyes.”

The 38-year-old Jackson is the IFL’s all-time sacks leader with 81.5 — the next closest has 54 — and was a three-time All-IFL first-team selection. It wasn’t “if,” it was “when” for Jackson.

“I had been thinking about it for the last couple years. Someone told me to just let it go and just pray on it and it’ll come to fruition,” he said.

Jackson, a Vacaville, California, native who spent the final year of his school career in Wichita, Kansas, was recruited to Missouri to play tight end before starring as a defensive end for his final two seasons in 2005 and ’06. The undrafted Jackson spent two stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles before playing in the CFL, Arena Football League and the IFL.

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Jackson said the Hall of Fame induction “is at the top” of his individual football accomplishments over his playing and coaching career.

“Hall of Fame is one of the those things that can’t be taken away,” he said. “It’s not like my sack record or anything that is meant to be broken. Once you’re in the Hall, you can’t lose that ever.”

Added Jackson: “Playing in the IFL meant a lot of things: the fan support, the coaches’ support, playing for those two great programs, that great ownership, great coaches, things that helped me be the man I am on and off the field. I wouldn’t be coaching in the IFL if it weren’t for those coaches pushing me to who I am today.”

Extra points

If Tucson (7-5) beats Las Vegas (4-9) on Saturday, the Sugar Skulls will clinch a spot in the IFL playoffs. The Sugar Skulls’ defense is surrendering the second-fewest points (40.9 ppg) this season. Said Jackson: “We’re playing great football down the stretch going into the playoffs. ... We just look at this game as one game. They’re a very talented team over there. We just have to go in there and do what we did in practice, fly around to the football and we’ll be fine.” The Sugar Skulls look to punch their ticket to the IFL playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

Tucson is 3-0 against Las Vegas since last season.

The first 1,000 kids in attendance at Tucson Arena will receive a free hat.