Lamar Jackson will join Johnny Unitas in an exclusive club next month.
The University of Louisville will retire Jackson’s No. 8 in a ceremony on Nov. 13, the school announced Saturday. Jackson will join Unitas as the only players in school history to have numbers retired. Louisville retired the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s No. 16 in 2003.
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Lamar Jackson (8) of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats during a game at Commonwealth Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
“Lamar earned the Heisman and then the NFL MVP, and he’s not even 25 years old. Even more remarkable, he’s only getting better. He was born shortly before Tom Brady entered the league so has the time to go beyond anything we’ve seen before,” Louisville vice president/athletics director Vince Tyra said in a release.
“His humble heart and grounded approach endears him to his teammates, his coaches and any staff he’s ever been around. He knows it takes eleven to be successful on offense, not one. We’re so proud to retire his number 8 for what he has accomplished so far but are equally excited about what’s to come. This city has big L’s up for our guy.”
Lamar Jackson (8) of the Louisville Cardinals warms up for a game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter Finley Stadium on October 5, 2017 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
During his Louisville career, Jackson passed for 9,043 yards and 69 touchdowns and rushed for a school-record 4,132 yards and 50 touchdowns. The Baltimore Ravens selected him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He won the NFL MVP award in 2019.
“I feel like I won a Heisman again,” he said in a video posted on the school’s Twitter account.
Johnny Unitas, number 19 from the Colts. (Photo by Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images)
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Louisville will host Syracuse on the jersey retirement day.
