CLARION, Pa. --- As a coach, administrator and professor, the late Al Jacks was an indelible part of the Clarion community for six decades. Now, his name will officially become a permanent part of Clarion athletics.
 
On Thursday the PennWest Council of Trustees voted to approve a proposal officially naming the playing surface at Memorial Stadium in honor of Al Jacks, as Al Jacks Field. The honor comes as a result of a multi-year giving campaign spearheaded by Robert "Bo" Garritano and countless Clarion football alumni, who raised money in support of Golden Eagles football.
 
The official dedication of Al Jacks Field is scheduled for a pregame ceremony on Thursday, August 28. The Golden Eagles football team will open its 2025 season at 6 p.m. against Wheeling.
 
"Coach Jacks was a believer in the student-athlete as a complete person, guiding the young men in his program to success on the field and in the classroom, and, that as Golden Eagles, athletes represent the Blue and Gold in all of their activities," read the proclamation from the council. "[His] impact was felt through the Clarion community as… a tireless advocate for the university."
 
"It gives great pleasure to announce the naming of Al Jacks Field, in honor of a legendary sports figure in our community and the commonwealth," said Dr. Jon Anderson, president of PennWest. "For so many years he was a mentor and leader for countless young men in our football program, and he's rightly regarded as one of the giants of college football in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. I would like to offer my congratulations and thanks to the many alumni and friends of the program who dedicated the time and effort to make this honor a reality."
 
"I heard the name Al Jacks for many years and finally had the opportunity to meet him when I came to Clarion a few years ago," said head football coach Raymond Monica. "He immediately welcomed me and my family to the area, and we built a great friendship. He was an incredible person. This honor shows the strength of the legacy he made at Clarion."
 
"I am thrilled to hear that Al Jacks' name will now forever be a part of Memorial Stadium," said Dr. Wendy Snodgrass, director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "As a coach he helped forge the student-athletes who played for him into great citizens, great leaders and great people. The bond they built as teammates has never been more apparent than it is now, with so many offering their support to rename the field in honor of Coach Jacks."

"Our father always appreciated the support of the university, players and community, and was always proud of the relationships he was able to build with so many people," said Craig Jacks, son of Al Jacks. "He always recognized that his successes were not just his own, but the result of hard work of so many student-athletes, coaches, and members of the community. Clarion was home for us, and we are humbled and honored that our father's name will live there forever. 
 
With Jacks at the helm of the Clarion football program, the Golden Eagles went 128-46-5 for a .729 winning percentage, and his 128 wins rank eighth all time for a head coach at a PSAC school. The team captured six PSAC West division titles (1966, 1967, 1969, 1977, 1978, and 1980) and three PSAC Championships (1966, 1977, 1980). Clarion's 1980 team was named the ECAC "Team of the Year."
 
Jacks was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame – now named for another Clarion graduate, Robert "Tick" Cloherty – in 1979, and in 1980 the Golden Eagles were named the ECAC Division II Team of the Year.
 
The recognition of Jacks' accomplishments continued well after his retirement from the football program. The Pittsburgh City League All Sports High School Hall of Fame added him to their number in 2016, in recognition of his accomplishments while attending Peabody High School as a 1953 graduate.
 
In 2019 the PSAC announced him as one of the all-time great contributors to the conference's history in football, naming him as part of the PSAC 150 Contributors list in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of college football.