Special to The Dallas Examiner
The Dallas Wings, in partnership with the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks, have created the Tiffany Jackson Memorial Scholarship, the team announced on Saturday at their Play4Kay game. Jackson, a North Texas native, died Oct. 3, 2022, after battling breast cancer. She was 37.
A $10,000 scholarship in Jackson’s name will be awarded annually – beginning in 2024 – to a Duncanville High School female athlete, the high school where Jackson attended. Students will be able to qualify for the scholarship via an application process. Led by the Wings through financial backing from the Dallas Wings Community Foundation, the New York Liberty and LA Sparks will also contribute to the annual scholarship.
“Tiffany Jackson is a Texas basketball legend, but her legacy stretches far beyond the basketball court,” said Wings Chief Operating Officer Amber Cox. “She was a great teammate, coach, friend, daughter and mother, known for her work ethic and compassion. In partnership with our friends at the Liberty and Sparks, this scholarship will allow us to continue to celebrate Tiffany’s life and honor her memory by contributing to the future of a young female athlete who best exemplifies Tiffany’s character and qualities.”
Jackson’s son, Marley, was also gifted a custom jacket at Saturday’s Wings game. The custom letter jacket, created by designer JT Made That, included logos of all the teams where Jackson starred, including Duncanville, the University of Texas and the Liberty, Sparks and Shock.
She was selected with the fifth overall selection in the 2007 WNBA Draft by the Liberty. She went on to play nine seasons in the WNBA. She had her best season as a member of the Shock in 2011 where she averaged 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Prior to joining the pro ranks, Jackson attended the University of Texas and was one of the program’s all-time greats. She remains the only women’s basketball player in Longhorn history to score at least 1,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and record 300 steals and 150 blocks. She was a three-time All-Big 12 selection, voted the National Freshman of the Year in 2004 and earned All-American honors in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
At Duncanville High School, Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American and a WBCA All-American. As a senior, she was the consensus No. 2 national prospect in the country. She was a member of Duncanville’s 2003 State Championship Team and was the state of Texas’ Gatorade Player of the Year. Jackson was inducted into the Duncanville ISD Hall of Honor in 2017.
Following her playing career, Jackson joined the University of Texas Women’s Basketball coaching staff and was later named the head coach at Wiley College in Marshall in April of 2022.