Super Bowl Legend Dexter Jackson To Lead Gasparilla Children's Parade

TAMPA, FL ? Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, organizers of the annual Gasparilla Festival, announced that 2003 Super Bowl Champion and MVP Dexter Jackson will be recognized as the Community Hero for the 2023 Ashley Children?s Gasparilla, presented by Chick-fil-A Tampa Bay.

He will lead the parade, the largest children's parade in the country, in a Monster Jam truck courtesy of Feld Entertainment. Monster Jam will be returning to Tampa?s Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 4 and 5.

It was 20 years ago next month that the Buccaneers' safety shined in Super Bowl XXXVII, pulling in two interceptions over the Oakland Raiders. His efforts not only earned him a Super Bowl ring, but he also took home MVP honors, the first safety since 1973 to win the award and the third defensive back overall.

But it's his community activities, not his football career, that earned him recognition as the Community Hero.

Since retiring, Jackson has been committed to community service, first as a child case manager and now as the sports and youth recreation manager for the nonprofit Tampa Housing Authority.

Jackson is currently the youth and sports program manager at The Oaks at Riverview Community Center in Tampa where he's an advocate for healthy habits at all levels, from sports and fitness to nutrition and mental wellness.

Jackson said his experiences growing up in Quincy, Florida, inspired him to help build self-sustaining communities and strong, healthy children.

As a child, Jackson remembers spending time with his family growing and preserving vegetables and fruit. It had an impact that has stuck with him through the years, especially in light of reports of food shortages and childhood obesity.

With that in mind, in early 2021, he worked with the Tampa Super Bowl LV Host Committee, which awarded a $10,000 mini-grant to create a community garden at The Oaks at Riverview Community Center as part of the committee's Forever 55 program to support and implement long-lasting legacy initiatives throughout Tampa Bay.

?In this society, (kids are) inside, playing video games and on cell phones," said Jackson, who managed the garden. ?I want to help teach kids how to be self-sufficient. Gardening is good for their mental health and gets them outside," he said.

He said the children are thrilled when they watch the seeds and seedlings they plant grow into tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, carrots, peppers, greens and peas.

"The kids are so excited to say, 'I grew this,'" he said.

Jackson said kids not only learn the mental and physical benefits of gardening, but also build healthy habits through better nutrition by taking the garden's vegetables home for family meals.

?We?re thrilled to celebrate Dexter Jackson joining us as our 2023 Community Hero,? said Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla's Truett Gardner. ?Athletes are driven by an unyielding work ethic, an optimistic approach to challenges and strong leadership. Dexter brings that daily to the families of The Oaks at Riverview, and we?re fortunate to have him as an advocate for healthy kids in Tampa Bay.?

Attending The Children's Gasparilla

The 76th anniversary of the Children?s Gasparilla, the largest children's parade in the country, is set to take place on Saturday, Jan. 21.

The family-friendly and alcohol-free celebration, presented by Demesmin and Dover Law Firm, steps off at 4 p.m. as Jackson helps lead more than 100 parade floats, krewes, marching bands, dance units, school organizations and community groups down a 1 1/2-mile route along Tampa?s famed Bayshore Boulevard.

Prior to the parade, from noon to 2 p.m., there will be a free bicycle rodeo on Bayshore Boulevard between Rome and Dakota avenues.

Participants will be fitted with a free new bicycle helmet they can keep (while supplies last). They then hop on one of the rodeo's bicycles and traverse a mini traffic course that teaches bicycle and pedestrian safety. The event does not require registration.

From noon to 4 p.m., cast your eyes to the skies to watch the Gasparilla Air Invasion air show with civilian aerobatic teams, vintage military aircraft and the Chuters Parachute Demonstration Team.

From 2 to 3 p.m., the Gasparilla Preschoolers' Stroll, featuring Tampa Bay's smallest pirates, will begin at Howard Avenue and end at Rome Avenue. Children ages 5 and under can strut their stuff along Bayshore Boulevard in decorated wagons, in strollers and on bicycles.

From 6:30 to 7 p.m., the Gasparilla Nighttime Air Invasion will take place with another precision parachute jump by the Chuters Parachute Demonstration Team and GhostWriter Airshows' signature fireworks flight.

The event will culminate from 7 to 7:30 p.m. with the Children?s Gasparilla ?Piratechnic? Finale, a pyrotechnic display that recreates the imaginary battle between the pirates of YMKG and the city of Tampa. The annual "battle" began in 1904, and the pirates remain undefeated to this day.

• Parade Route Map
• Children's Gasparilla Parade Road Closure Schedule
• Children's Gasparilla Parade Traffic Advisory
• Accessible Viewing Area and Parking Map
• Parking Bulletin

The free Jolley Trolley will run on a continuous loop, picking up and dropping off event attendees at the intersections of Platt Street and Bayshore Boulevard, as well as Bay to Bay Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard.

This event is free to the public. Reserved bleacher seating is available for the Ashley Children's Gasparilla presented by Chick-fil-A Parade.

The Ashley Children?s Gasparilla, presented by Chick-fil-A Tampa Bay, sets the tone for the Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest on Jan. 28.