For Gallatin High School quarterback Jackson Stroup, football was never just a sport.

It was part of his family.

Jackson grew up around the game. His dad, Michael Stroup, is Gallatin High School’s head football coach, and Michael’s father was also a football coach.

For three generations, football has been woven into the Stroup family.

“I love competing, and I just knew football was my thing,” Jackson said.

By his senior year, Jackson had already made his mark on Gallatin football.

He graduated as the Green Wave’s all-time leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, and total touchdowns, ranking third in Sumner County history in career passing yards.

He had spent years working toward a future in football, with hopes of continuing his career at the collegiate level.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

“Every Bit of It for Nothing”

A serious knee injury ended Jackson’s senior season.

“I didn’t think I could get hurt,” Jackson recalled.

He remembers laying his head on his dad and bawling. He had never missed a game throughout his high school career. Yet suddenly the game he loved had been taken away.

Initially, an MRI and X-ray didn’t appear to show anything significant. The next morning, the family learned Jackson had a hairline fracture down the tibial plateau of his right knee.

“For me, that was the knockout punch,” he said.

But Jackson wasn’t about to disappear from the team.

Just days after his injury, he insisted on going to practice to be with the team.

“Take Me to Practice”

“I’ll be on crutches. I’ll be on a golf cart. And I’m wearing a headset.”

When he arrived, his teammates surrounded him.

Michael remembers seeing his son rise “above his pain, above his crutches,” determined to figure out how he could still contribute.

Jackson showed up with a playsheet and headset, helping coaches and younger players while continuing to be part of the team.

Chasing the Dream

But he wanted more.

“I wanted to play college football, period. It’s been my dream for years,” he said.

There were moments when he wondered if he could run again, if he would be the same athlete and if playing college football was still possible.

His dad encouraged him to chase the dream anyway.

Jackson underwent rehabilitation and worked with the medical team at Highpoint Health - Sumner with Ascension Saint Thomas, including orthopedic care and physical therapy.

“At the end of it, man, we just fixed him,” said Dr. Beauchamp. “But Jackson, he did the work.”

And eventually, Jackson was back on the football field.

“Don't give up.”

He began his first college football season at Lindsey Wilson College, continuing the dream he had worked so hard to keep alive.

Jackson’s message to other athletes facing setbacks is simple.

“You don’t give up on your dream. You don’t give up on what you want to do in life.”

“Chase your dream,” he said. “Chase your dream and don’t look back.”

Through the injury, Jackson also learned to look beyond football.

“There are so many people coming over, our family here in Gallatin, and there are so many friends I have that enjoy being around me as a person, not as an athlete,” he said.

For Jackson Stroup, the journey back wasn’t easy. 

The dream he nearly lost is now continuing at the collegiate level. 

“It’s thanks to God’s timing,” Jackson says, “and the continued strength He gives.”

Perhaps it’s not just football that carries a Stroup family legacy. Persistence and faith run deeper still.

Check out the video that inspired this article here.

Special thanks to Trisha Lopez and Highpoint Health-Sumner with Ascension St. Thomas for sharing the story and connecting us with Jackson.