Hundreds of people paid their last respects to one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Rochester.

Trent Jackson died earlier this week at the age of 65.

A steady stream of mourners attended calling hours for Jackson Friday evening. They included friends, coaching colleagues and former athletes.

Most remember him as the former Franklin High Basketball coach who had competed in the 1964 Olympics and played four seasons in the NFL.

But Trent Jackson touched a lot of people as a mentor and role model.

“I was just in ninth grade and was really having some trouble,” former Franklin track star Garfield Ellenwood recalled. “He took me out to Gates Chili, he told me to look at some of these houses, and him and Pam (Jackson’s wife) basically told me that you can accomplish this one day if you buckle down, use your God given talent that the Lord has given you and I was able to do it and make it to where I am.”

Ellenwood is now the head track coach at Bethune-Cookman University.

He and Trent Jackson's children remember the man the same way, a caring man always looking out for others.

"He was wonderful, loving, friendly, and it's just hard right now,” said his daughter Yolanda. “We're glad that he had the chance to touch so many people in such a positive way.”

He was the “Franklin Flash” as a high school athlete, a medal favorite in the 1964 summer Olympics; a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins.

“He never would talk about how good he was, I did this, I did the other. If you didn't know Trent you would think he was just another guy,” said Pastor James Carter of Antioch Baptist Church.

But most of all, Trent Jackson left a lasting impression on his family.

“He was a hero, he was a role model, he was everything I wanted to be,” Jackson’s son Trent, Jr. said. “Until this day I still feel I can't fit his shoes, but I'm going to promise my mother and I'm going to promise my whole family that I'm going to tie them real tight so I don't lose them.”

Funeral services for Trent Jackson are set for 11:00AM Saturday at Antioch Baptist Church on the corner of Joseph Avenue and Baden Street.