LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - Former UNLV football assistant head coach John Jackson, who was a member of the program's staff from 1999-2004, died on Thursday in Torrance, California, of complications following intestinal surgery.

He was 81. Information on services is pending.

Among the nation's most highly respected teachers of the running game, Jackson was named the Rebels' assistant head coach and running game coordinator in 1999. The move reunited him with head coach John Robinson after almost two decades.

"If you're a running back, why wouldn't you want to learn under John Jackson?" Robinson said at the time.

Under his direction, the 2002 Rebels finished 15th in the nation on the ground with 214 yards per game. This came on the heels of back-to-back years of 1,000-yard rushers and a 2001 season that saw UNLV pile up 2,734 yards as a team (the most since 1979) and run in 24 touchdowns (most since 1981). In 2000, UNLV defeated Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Overall, of UNLV's seven all-time individual 1,000-yard rushers, Jackson tutored three of them: Jeremi Rudolph in 2000, Joe Haro in 2001 and Dominique Dorsey in 2004.

Jackson's long and distinguished career began in 1956 as an assistant coach at Brooklyn Technical High School. Three years in the United States Marines followed, during which he attained the rank of captain. In 1963, Jackson took over as head coach of Boys High School and twice earned New York Metro Coach of the Year honors.

He joined the collegiate ranks in 1967 when he became offensive coordinator and head track coach at Hofstra University in his native New York.

Jackson coached the offense at Hofstra for three years until he took a similar position at Dartmouth College. One season later, he followed Head Coach Bob Blackman to Illinois and took over as the offensive coordinator for the Illini until 1975. Summoned to the West Coast by new USC coach Robinson, Jackson spent seven seasons at Troy.

The results were dazzling.

In 1979, Trojan tailback Charles White, who began his USC career the same season as Jackson, not only was the runaway choice for the Heisman Trophy, but also set 22 NCAA, Pac-10, USC and Rose Bowl records. White finished as the NCAA's second-leading rusher of all time with 5,598 yards, which included a stunning 31 100-yard games. Just two years later, Jackson helped produce another Heisman winner in Marcus Allen. College football's first 2,000-yard season rusher, Allen set 14 NCAA records, including most 200-yard games in a career (11), in a season (8) and a row (5). Jackson also coached unanimous All-American tailback Ricky Bell, the leading rushing fullback in USC history, Lynn Cain, and Mosi Tatupu.

Jackson retired from coaching in 1982 in favor of the business world. He joined California Sports Inc., and worked as special assistant to Jerry Buss for 17 years. During his stint, Jackson was credited with developing such successful ventures as Forum Boxing and the sports cable network Prime Ticket (now Fox Sports West). He also was the owner and manager of the Culver City (Calif.) Ice Arena from 1982 until it closed in 2014.

Jackson is survived by his daughter, Tracie, who currently is employed at USC, and his son, John, a former wide receiver at USC who is now a radio and TV analyst; plus four grandchildren, his brother, Pazel, and Tracie's and John's mother, Lillian.