Reporter: STEVEN

JACKSON HAS BEEN ONE OF

THE

MOST PRODUCTIVE RUNNINGBACKS

IN THE NFL.

BETWEEN THE 2005 AND 2012

SEASON, HE RUSHED FOR OVER A

THOUSAND YARDS, MAKING HIM

THE ST. LOUIS RAMS' ALL TIME

LEAD.

AND HE SAYS THE GAME HAS

ALWAYS MEANT MORE TO HIM

THAN JUST WINS AND LOSSES.

WE WERE PLAYING FOR

GAMES.

AND IT WAS JUST ALWAYS AN

ASSOCIATION OF CHRIST,

SPORTS, AND EDUCATION, HAS

BEEN THROUGH AND THROUGH MY

ENTIRE LIFE.

Reporter: STEVEN BECAME

A CHRISTIAN AT AN EARLY

AGE.

IT WAS SO MUCH A PART OF

MY LIFE.

IT WAS SO MUCH EMBEDDED IN

ME, AND I WATCHED MY MOM AND

DAD, THROUGH THICK AND THIN,

EVERY NIGHT AND EVERY

MORNING, I SAW THEM GET ON

THEIR KNEES AND PRAY TO

GOD.

THERE WAS A PART OF LIFE

THAT I BASICALLY UNDERSTOOD

WAS GOING TO BE PART OF MY

LIFE AS WELL.

Reporter: YOU GREW UP

IN LAS VEGAS, RIGHT?

I GREW UP IN LAS VEGAS,

NEVADA, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE

DON'T ASSOCIATE CHRISTIANS

AND SIN CITY TOGETHER, BUT

WE HAVE A DYNAMIC PART OF

THE TOWN THAT IS THRIVING IN

CHRIST.

Reporter: WHEN STEVEN

STARTED PLAYING FOOTBALL,

THERE WAS ONLY ONE POSITION

COACHES ALLOWED HIM TO PLAY

BECAUSE OF HIS SIDES.

I ALWAYS PLAYED

RUNNINGBACK.

I WAS ALWAYS THE SMALLEST

GUY OF THE TEAM UNTIL I WAS

16 YEARS OLD.

Reporter: STEVEN

CONTINUED TO HONE HIS

SKILLS, ALL THE WAY TO HIS

SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL,

WHERE HIS TEAM FELL SHORT OF

A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

I REMEMBER I WAS CRYING.

AND AS WE WALKED OFF THE

FIELD, ALTHOUGH WE WERE A

GOOD TEAM, I WAS THE ONLY

ONE THAT THE COLLEGES SAW AS

DIVISION ONE WORTHY.

SO WHEN WE WALKED OFF THE

FIELD, THE FAMILY MEMBERS

AND EVEN MY TEAMMATES

CREATED A SMALL PATHWAY, AND

ALL APPLAUDED ME.

I'LL NEVER FORGET IT.

THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED HOW

POWERFUL AND GIFTED I WAS IN

THE GAME OF FOOTBALL AND THE

KIND OF INFLUENCE I HAD.

Reporter: STEVEN

ACCEPTED AN OFFER TO PLAY

FOR OREGON STATE, AND IT WAS

THERE THAT HE BEGAN TO

STRUGGLE WITH HIS FAITH.

WHEN I GOT ON MY OWN IN

COLLEGE, I WAS TRYING TO

FIND OUT WHO I WAS AT A

YOUNG MAN.

THAT'S WHEN I KIND OF RAN

INTO THE PITFALLS AND

TEMPTATIONS.

THERE WAS A LOT OF

PARTYING.

Reporter: HE FOUND OUT

VER QUICKLY THAVERY QUICKLY

THAT THE PARTY LIFE WASN'T

FOR HIM.

I WAS TRYING TO PLEASE

TWO WORLDS.

Reporter: SO STEVEN

DECIDED TO MAKE AN

ADJUSTMENT: HE CHOSE TO LIVE

LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN AND

TRUST GOD WITH HIS CAREER.

AT THREE SEASONS, HE WAS

RANKED SECOND IN THE ALL

PURPOSE YARD, AND HE DECIDED

TO ENTER THE 2004 NFL

DRAFT.

HE WAS ELECTED 24th

OVERALL BY THE RAMS.

AND THERE WAS ONE NUMBER HE

HAD TO HAVE ON HIS JERSEY.

I WAS THINKING, WHAT

NUMBERS WOULD I CURRENTLY

WANT AS A RUNNINGBACK.

AND 39 KEPT POPPING UP.

AND SO I CALLED MY DAD AND I

SAID I WAS THINKING OF

CHANGING MY NUMBER.

IF YOU COULD PICK ANY

NUMBER, WHAT NUMBER WOULD

YOU PICK?

AND HE SAID 39.

AND I SAID, DAD, I WAS

THINKING OF CHANGING IT TO

39, WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?

AND HE SAID BECAUSE THERE

ARE 39 BOOKS IN THE

TESTAMENT.

Reporter: AND HE

DECIDED TO WEAR THIS NUMBER

AS HIS MESSAGE.

I WANT TO LEAVE A

POSITIVE IMPRINT ON ANY CITY

THAT I TRAVEL IN.

FOOTBALL IS JUST A

PLATFORM.

BUT BEING SUCCESSFUL AND

BEING POSITIVE WOULD BE THE

INFLUENCE I LEAVE.

Reporter: TAKE A LOOK

AT HIS CHARITY, THE STEVEN

JACKSON FOUNDATION, WHERE

ONE OF THE FOCUSES IS

CHILDREN AND COMBATING

ILLITERACY.

I ALWAYS GO AROUND AND DO

MOTIVATIONAL TALKS TO NOT

ONLY YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT TO

ADULTS AS WELL, ABOUT MY

FAITH IN CHRIST.

ABOUT MOTIVATING THEM

THROUGH HARDSHIPS, AND HOW

TO ACHIEVE GOALS AND HOW TO

DEAL WITH SUCCESS.

Reporter: THIS SEASON

AS THE FALCONS CONTINUE

THEIR BATTLE THROUGH

JANUARY, STEVEN IS FOCUSED

FOR THE NUMBER ONE REASON IS

ON THE FIELD.

JESUS CHRIST MEANS A LOT

OF THINGS.

FOR ONE, HE IS MY HEAVENLY

FATHER.

HE GIVES UNCONDITIONAL

LOVE.

A LOT OF TIMES I BECOME

FRUSTRATED WITH MYSELF OR

WITH OTHER PEOPLE, AND I

REMIND MYSELF GOD DIED AND

LAID ON THE CROSS FOR OUR

SINS SO ONE DAY I CAN COME

TO MEET HIM.

LOVE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN

ANYTHING ON THIS EARTH.

THE MORE I TRY TO REMIND

MYSELF OF THAT AND WALK IN

THAT, I FIND PEACE IN MY

HEART.