Saturday marks the first anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in NIU sports history.

Jawan Jackson, a 19-year-old walk-on football player from Robbins, Ill., collapsed during mandatory conditioning at the Student Recreation Center. Trainer Phil Voorhis attempted to resuscitate Jackson, but was unsuccessful and the freshman died less than an hour later at Kishwaukee Community Hospital. Jackson, who had an enlarged heart, collapsed near the end of the second day of conditioning when the team was running sprints.

Jackson was a high school friend and teammate of current Huskie football player and former walk-on Travis Moore at Eisenhower.

“We don’t have anything really organized for tomorrow,” Moore said. “I’m sure some of us will get together and have a moment of silence or say a little prayer or something. We are a pretty tight group. We will probably just hang out all day and relive the moments.”

The football team started its conditioning this week just two months after claiming its second straight MAC West Division Co-Championship. The conditioning starts at 6 a.m. two times a week for the first two weeks and then three days a week starting in the third week. The team breaks up into groups and goes through five or six stations, each utilizing football type movements and agility. Each station goes about five minutes, and the players rotate throughout each one. At the end of the drills, the players run sprints as a team. The whole process is done in an hour.

According to Moore, steps have been taken to help prevent any injuries or further health problems.

“Precautions have been taken this year,” Moore said. “If you are hurt or you feel you can’t go, you don’t feel that you have to push yourself too far.”

After Jackson’s death, Moore dedicated the rest of his career to Jackson as well as high school teammate Rasul Clark, who was paralyzed his junior year in high school.

Last season, Moore’s first full season as a starter, the defensive end earned First-Team All-MAC and was voted as the team’s Most Improved Player.