Playing on the Raiders was more than just a win for Josh Jacobs’ career. It was a win in his life – one that completely transformed the past into a better present than he ever imagined for himself.
Before Jacobs became running back for the Raiders, he had quite a different childhood. As a child, Jacobs and his four siblings were homeless. They spent most of their time living out of a car with their dad, Marty, on the north side of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
But this Tuesday, Jacobs decided to put all of this in both his and his father’s past. The 2019 draft’s No. 24 pick took to social media to say he had purchased a house for his father.
Marty will now be living a life in Alameda, very different from that of his past.
The Raiders team was also so touched by their player’s loving act that they tweeted out a video of Marty’s reaction.
Jacobs is currently the leading candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, having rushed for 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns, and averaging 4.8 yards per carry – and he caught 20 passes for 166 yards and eight first downs. This is all despite having missed 3 of the Raiders’ final 4 games due to a fracture in his right shoulder. His 88.5 rushing yards per game ranks 3rd in the NFL, behind the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry (102.7) and the Cleveland Browns’ Nick Chubb (93.4).
Jacobs wasn’t quick to miss those games, though – he had played right on through the pain after sustaining the injury back in Week 7.
He was selected with a pick acquired in the Khalil Mack trade of 2018.
All of this makes his journey from homelessness to stardom on the field, not to mention a first-round pick from the Raiders, all the more inspiring. ESPN SportsCenter even featured a documentary-style piece on his life this past spring.
“Sleeping in the car, I always look back on it,” Jacobs said at the time. “It’s always going to be something that molded me into who I am. It might have been rough, but, I mean, it’s my life.”