New Landstown coach has ‘unfinished business’
Jackson returns for 2nd stint with Eagles
When Robert Jackson left Virginia Beach as Salem High’s football coach to become the athletic director at Norcom High in Portsmouth in 2016, he called it “the toughest decision” he ever had to make.
“I missed the Friday nights. I thought I didn’t, but I did,” said Jackson, who is a Norcom graduate. “I just missed being around the kids. I thought I’d be better served doing other things. You see the kids, but you’re not really involved with them.”
That’s why Jackson is not only returning as football coach, but he’s also returning to the Beach District to coach again at Landstown. He replaces Tommy Reamon, who stepped down after going 87-67 over 15 seasons, including a 12-1 record in 2017 when he led the Eagles to the Beach District title and a region championship-game appearance. The Eagles were 1-7 last season.
Jackson returns to Landstown, where he was the school’s first coach when it opened in 2001. He led the Eagles to records of 4-6 and 5-5 before leaving to take an assistant coaching position at Norfolk State.
“You know how you have that feeling when you get to home? You travel and get to go all over the place,” he said. “But it’s always good to be able to go home. And that’s what it feels like.”
The best part, he says, is getting to work closely with the players, which is something he didn’t get to do as an athletic director.
“Now I get to be around the kids. And that’s what I want to do,” he said. “I just want to be a positive influence on them. And going back to the Beach, I love the vision that Virginia Beach has for athletics. I love the vision that the administration at the school has. We share some of the same things. So I’m looking forward to that.”
Landstown is glad to have Jackson back as well.
“We are so glad to have Coach Jackson back at the Nest,” said Landstown athletic director David Siock. “Hopefully, we will have him around a lot longer for his second flight. Our students are going to love him.
“Coach Jackson’s coaching résumé speaks for itself,” Siock added. “He has obviously been successful pretty much everywhere he has been, but what I love more is his off-the-field résumé. He has always done all he can for his student-athletes, and that will certainly continue here. He is ready to hit the ground running, start working with his players and get them ready for next season.”
Jackson has an impressive résumé as a head coach.
At Bayside, he led the Marlins to to back-to-back Beach District titles in 1999 and 2000, winning 26 games over his three seasons.
When Landstown opened, he went there and went 9-11 before coaching at Norfolk State.
At Salem, he led the SunDevils to six straight playoff appearances
and 10 postseason trips in his 11 seasons.
He won more than 100 games over 11 seasons with Salem and came within one victory of reaching the Group 5A state championship game in 2013 and 2014 — losing to eventual champion L.C. Bird both times.
At Norcom, when the administration couldn’t come to a consensus after firing a coach, he was asked to step in and led the Greyhounds to a 7-5 record, including a berth in the Class 3 Region A tournament. The Greyhounds upset Lafayette, but lost to eventual state champion Hopewell.
“I just feel like I have some unfinished business,” Jackson said. “I’m putting together a pretty good staff. I have some seasoned guys who will be coming over. We’re just looking forward to getting started. Playing in the Beach District is very competitive, and I like that about the Beach. You’re going to get a game every week.”