News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan St. Cloud Coach Mark Jackson resigned his position as Bulldogs head football coach on Monday.

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

St. Cloud High football coach Mark Jackson has been relieved of his position by Principal Pam Tapley according to Osceola School District Director of Community Relations Dana Schafer.

Shafer said "personal issues" involving Jackson negatively impacted the high school campus, causing Tapley to request a school district investigation. Schafer said the investigation is ongoing.

Jackson said the reason for his dismissal  was because of a difference with Tapley about his performance. He said that he discussed a personal issue with Tapley in her office last week. He believes that discussion led to his dismissal.

Jackson,  the Bulldogs head football coach for four seasons, led the team to a district championship in 2008 and a regional playoff appearance in 2009. It was only the second time that St. Cloud reached the football playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Jackson's wife, Melissa Jackson, a flag football and girls soccer coach at St. Cloud High, also has been relieved of her coaching  duties by Tapley for personal issues that were impacting the campus environment, Schafer said.

Schafer said Mark and Melissa  Jackson will be given opportunities to continue their coaching careers in Osceola County. Mark Jackson will meet with Liberty administrators and football coach David Benson Friday, he said. Melissa Jackson may move to Celebration High, where she will be permitted to coach, Schafer said Tuesday.

Mark Jackson said his wife was hospitalized Monday evening because of "health issues.

"I guess you could say it's stress related," Mark Jackson said.

Jackson's record over four years is 21-22, 16-7 over the past two seasons. In 2009, the Bulldogs started 1-4 before winning six in a row to qualify for the playoffs as the district runner up.

Mark Jackson said he does not understand why he was relieved of his football job.

"People are calling me and asking me why I'm not the football coach anymore, and I don't know what to tell them. I don't know myself. I haven't done anything wrong," Jackson said Tuesday. "I've got kids crying, parents calling me because they're upset, and there's nothing I can tell them, because I don't know myself."

Here the content of a letter Jackson wrote Monday addressing the subject:

It is with my deepest regret that I have been asked to resign my position as head football coach at St. Cloud High School. This resignation stems from a disagreement of my performance, between me and the principal. I have been very blessed to have had a long history St. Cloud having played there and later work for Coach (John) Wallauer and then continuing to grow professionally under Coach (Matt) Kemper.

I took the job at St. Cloud with the promise that I would give the school and program everything I had and attempt to rebuild a tradition rich community, school, and program that had been severed with the opening of a new high school. I can honestly say I did my very best and in the end we have two of the best football seasons in the school’s long history. Besides that our team GPA increased from a 2.21 to a 2.73. There are currently many players in advanced placement courses and have well above a 3.0 including a sophomore with a 4.6 GPA. In 4 seasons we only had 3 young men who started their senior season with us fail to graduate. Next year there will be 8 former St Cloud High School football players playing football at the collegiate level, 2 with division 1 scholarships, and several others who have joined the military or are attending college.

I appreciate all the hard work and dedication of my assistants and their families. I am proud of how the young people of this program bought into the integrity, honesty, and character of this football program, and I love them dearly for it. I believe I will be leaving St. Cloud High School in a better place than where I found it, I will miss wearing the Maroon and Gold, but I will always be a Bulldog.

Mark Jackson
Former Head Football Coach
St. Cloud High School