Ammiel Jackson has battled leukemia, so facing the North Central defense comes with a little more perspective. Photo by Doug Sasse for UW-Oshkosh athletics

By Glen Crevier
D3sports.com

If you asked Ammiel Jackson for the most vivid memory of his college football career, chances are it didn’t occur on the field.

Instead, it happened in a children’s hospital in Milwaukee.

At the time, Jackson was a running back for Division III powerhouse UW-Whitewater. But in the spring of 2021, he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for leukemia. He was sick and in despair. “Depressed,” is how he described his feelings.

Months earlier, his father Albert, then 70, passed away from COVID. 

And now Ammiel, in the midst of cancer treatments, developed COVID himself, and his weight dropped to 140 pounds, 70 less than his playing weight. “It was a nasty mix,” he recalled of his experience.

Now a running back and special teams player for UW-Oshkosh, healthy and feeling as strong as ever, he can identify several turning points in his medical journey that led to his return to the field. 

But the little girl with the constant smile in Children’s Wisconsin hospital is what he brings up first.

“She had a large tumor,” Jackson said. “She got her treatments next to me. At the time, I was really depressed. But she was happy all the time. Kids just don’t understand what’s happening. When I saw her smile, and how happy she was all the time, I just said to myself, ‘Why am I so sad and depressed?’  Seeing that girl really changed my perspective on what I was going through. I had faith, and that made it even stronger for me. I really grew up and it gave me more perspective on life.”

Jackson was recruited by Whitewater out of Riverside University High School in Milwaukee. But his career had hardly begun before misfortune hit.

“He was a special kid,” said Patrick Wagner, then Riverside’s head coach and now a defensive backs coach for Wisconsin Lutheran. “I’ll never forget when his dad died, he called me in the middle of the night and said, ‘He’s gone, he’s gone.’ At first I didn’t know what he was talking about. And then he gets sick himself. It was a real 1-2 gut punch.”

When his father died, Jackson moved home to be with his family, took a job at a local Menards, a Midwestern home improvement chain, and commuted to school. But while working in the lumber yard at Menards, Jackson couldn’t shake his constant fatigue.

“I had a blood test and they weren’t sure if I had sickle cell or cancer,” he said. “Once I was diagnosed, I started immediate chemo that lasted six months.”

Jackson said a strong support system helped him through his struggles.

His brother, Anthony, three years younger, proved to be a 100 percent match as a blood donor.

“He played such a big role,” Jackson said. “I didn’t have to go to Be The Match because of him.”

And Wagner, his high school coach, organized a Go Fund Me campaign that raised $4,581. “Coach Wagner is like a father figure to me,” Jackson said. “He’s my mentor and a big part of my life. What he did really helped me and my family so much.”

After two years on the sidelines, Jackson returned to Whitewater for two years and then transferred to Oshkosh for the 2025 season. 

“It wasn’t the best fit for me anymore,” Jackson said of his decision to move on.

He was welcomed by the coach who recruited him to Whitewater, Peter Jennings, now the head coach at Oshkosh, then the offensive coordinator at Whitewater.

“One thing above all makes him a special person: perseverance,” Jennings said. “He could have thrown his hands up and said, ‘I’m out of here,’ and not pursued his education or his football career. Who could blame him with all he’s been through. But he just keeps fighting.

“He was looking for a fresh start, so when he reached out, it was a no-brainer for me. With his character, his work ethic … he means so much to our locker room.”

Jackson is currently part of a running back by committee offense, Jennings said. He has carried five times for 21 yards for the 1-1 Titans. “He’s had some key third down carries,” said Jennings.

“And he’s really a leader on our special teams.

“He’s playing at a high level. He can carry the football, catch it, make tackles. He’s truly a football player.”

Jackson is a senior academically with one more year of athletic eligibility. He will turn 24 in November. He’s not looking beyond the next game in his career.

“My dad told me to be the best version of myself and that’s what I’m trying to do,” he said. “I don’t worry about starting or how many carries I get. I just love to play football. I put the work in every day and we’ll just see what happens. I’m just happy to be here.”