On his first day with the Seahawks last month, Billy Gresham paused in the hallway just inside the back entrance to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. On a wall players and coaches pass each day, there are plaques featuring the names, jersey number and signatures of every player to suit up for a game in Seahawks history.
Looking at the names of the 2011 team, Gresham pulled out his phone a snapped a picture of No. 7, Tarvaris Jackson, and felt a little emotional remembering his longtime friend.
"The first thing I did when I saw the signatures up there, I took a picture of his name up there," Gresham said. "When I first got in the building, I could feel the jitters a little bit."
Gresham, who is with the Seahawks this summer as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, is new to Seattle and the organization, but he arrived with a significant bond to the franchise through the quarterback who was the Seahawks' starter in 2011, and a backup on the Super Bowl winning 2013 squad.
"We grew up together, we grew up in the same neighborhood," Gresham explained. "Elementary, middle school, high school."
Jackson and Gresham both starred at Sidney Lanier High School, Gresham at linebacker and safety, and Jackson, of course, at quarterback. Jackson then went to Arkansas while Gresham went to Alabama State, then when Jackson decided to transfer, Gresham started recruiting his old friend. The result was a reunion at Alabama State that saw Jackson earn All-SWAC honors before becoming a second-round pick of the Vikings.
"We were really close," Gresham said. "We did pretty much everything together. We got into sports together, playing basketball and football. Then when he went to Arkansas out of high school, I recruited him back. Before the transfer portal they have now, I recruited him to come to Alabama State where I was playing at the time.
"I still have a really good relationship with his family. His mom is like my mom. Even now, his kids, it's a really, really strong relationship."
Despite that fact that Jackson started only one season for Seattle before spending three seasons as Russell Wilson's backup, he became highly respected in the organization and the locker room, from the way he played through a serious pectoral injury in 2011 to the way he led, even as a backup, to the way he handled a three-way quarterback competition with grace in 2012 even though it led to him losing out on the job he held the previous year. Jackson's death in a 2020 automobile accident hit the organization and his former teammates hard, and his ties to the team remain strong even after his death, a bond that only grew last season when his son, Tarvaris Jackson II, visited the team as part of a Make-A-Wish visit.
Gresham was not surprised to learn, upon joining the Seahawks this summer, that his former teammate and childhood friend is revered in an organization for which he started a total of 14 games, all in 2011.
"His leadership, the work ethic part of it, that was contagious," Gresham said. "Guys around him watched the way he worked, the way he carried himself. He was a pro going about his business, and he's always been like that. The way he did it, he carried guys with him, pulled guys up with the way he worked. Guys respected him for that. Guys gravitated to him."
Gresham, who following training camp will return to Alabama State where he is the team's special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach, will work under special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh assisting with that unit during training camp. He is one of several coaches taking part in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program, which is designed to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches.
Also joining the Seahawks for offseason workouts and training camp this year are, Jaylon Finner, (assisting running backs), who spent the past two seasons as a defensive quality control coach in Buffalo; Roy Manning (assisting defensive backs), a former NFL linebacker who spent the past two seasons as the outside linebackers/assistant head coach for defense at USC; La'Roy Reynolds (assisting inside linebackers), a former NFL linebacker who is beginning his coaching career after a decade-long playing career; and Tej Seth (assisting defense/coaching analytics), who has a background with the Michigan football program and is currently a data scientist with SumerSports and spent time with PFF (2021-22) in research & development.
"It's huge," Gresham said of being part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. "When you talk about goals in life, career wise, once you get in this profession, you want to coach at the highest level, and this is it. This is a good opportunity to learn, grow and network at this level. It's definitely a great opportunity. It's a huge dream and a goal to coach at this level."
Gresham would have embraced an opportunity to work with an NFL team; that it ended up being in Seattle where he sees reminders of his longtime friend, just makes it that much more special. Gresham felt like a summer job with the Seahawks was meant to be when the initial call about the position, which came from receivers coach Frisman Jackson, came on April 12, the anniversary of Jackson's death, and the call from Mike Macdonald offering the position came on April 21, Jackson's birthday.
"The first call was on the anniversary of his death, and the other call was on his birthday," Gresham said. "It's kind of weird how it fell like that, but it's been special to be here.
"It's been great. There's a great staff that's going to make this fellowship really good. The staff is really open, willing to teach and take the time out. Being a coach, you're into routine, and we're asking all these questions, doing things with them, so it's a little bit different for them, but they've been very open and accepting to us learning from them and taking things from them."
Check out the best photos from the quarterbacks during the team's 2024 offseason workout program.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and center Olu Oluwatimi (51) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) and center Nick Harris (56) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and running back Zach Charbonnet (26) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) and running back Kenny McIntosh (25) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) and quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) and quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) and quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback P.J. Walker (15) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback P.J. Walker (15) and quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback P.J. Walker (15) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7), quarterback Sam Howell (6), and quarterback P.J. Walker (15) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) and wide receiver Dareke Young (83) participated in offseason workouts at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
