IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Treye Jackson, the University of Iowa's top football recruit, missed the team's Rose Bowl season with a spinal disorder.
So Jackson, a state record-holder in high school, has become a member of the Iowa track team.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound wide receiver was the most sought-after football player in Iowa after leading Newton High School to the 1981 football title. He was selected to the all-state first team and to three different All-America squads.
After coming to Iowa last year, Jackson underwent a preseason physical examination and doctors discovered a hemangiona -- a congenital spine defect.
Jackson, 18, was redshirted.
The defect, an abnormal collection of blood vessels, caused a weak bone structure in Jackson's neck. His doctors told him he would undergo the risk of breaking his neck if he continued to play football without the surgery.
Dr. John Albright, the Hawkeyes' team surgeon, performed the operation last August and corrected the defect.
Team doctors said it would take up to a year after the operation for the bone graft to be fully healed. Trainer Ed Crowley said Jackson may miss Iowa's spring football workouts, which begin in April.
'He is still not cleared to play contact football,' Crowley said. 'He may not be until well into the summer.'
Ted Wheeler, Iowa's track coach, recognized Jackson's ability in track, and persuaded him to go out for the team.
'I think I pushed him,' Wheeler said. 'I felt he was a very competitive individual and gifted athlete and could be very successful in two sports.
'It is very healthy for him and good for the team,' Wheeler said.
