Roderick Jackson claims he is just a regular guy from a small town in Alabama.
Few however, have had the chance to stand before the United States' Supreme Court and redefine a law that has helped stop gender discrimination for over three decades.
Jackson visited Bowling Green State University Wednesday and shared with students and faculty his role in the ground-breaking Title IX case that established school personnel can speak on behalf of students without fear of retaliation.
Title IX was enacted in 1972 to ban gender discrimination in federally funded programs and has been instrumental in the institution of many women's sports.
"It's incredibly important that everyone hears his story. Students are generally powerless and we as teachers need to show them the right way," said Dr. Janet Parks, a retired BGSU sport management faculty member. "It takes a rare person to stand up and do what he did and he is a great role model. We were honored to have him speak."
The event was hosted by the BGSU Sport Management Faculty Fund, the Fund for the Study of Sport and Diversity, the College of Business Administration, and the BG branch of the American Association of University Women.
"I wish it wasn't unusual to stand up for students, but people always like the David versus Goliath stories," Jackson said.

His own underdog tale began in 1999 when overnight, he went from a highly respected teacher and coach to an outcast. Jackson, a former girls basketball coach at Ensley (Ala.) High School, had been recruited to fill the vacant slot after success at the middle school. He hadn't been in his new position for long before he began to see disparities between his program and the boys program.
"I noticed several problems early on when I took the coaching position, but like with any new job, you try to work through them," Jackson said.
The girls were forced to practice in a cramped, auxiliary gym with bent rims and no heat. The boys had more funding, greater access to equipment and practiced on a regulation-size court. Jackson once even had to use a screwdriver to break into an ice machine in his own school to treat an injured player for the opposing team.
"I went up the proper chain of command and I was told 'Just play ball.' No one wanted to hear it," he said.
That was when Jackson began to receive poor evaluations that eventually led to his dismissal from the team in 2001. He sued the Birmingham Board of Education shortly after, claiming he was a victim of retaliation and should be protected under the very title that was supposed to be protecting his players.
"What people didn't realize was, everything the team went through, I went through. When they practiced in the cold gym, I was practicing. When they lost, I lost," Jackson said.
The district court held that Jackson was not meant to be protected by Title IX as a private citizen. He appealed, but was denied once again. Jackson then enlisted the help of the National Women's Law Center and brought the case to the country's highest court.
"I had no idea it would go to that level and I was just in awe. I would not trade that experience for anything. Just to sit there and watch the justices work, I'll never forget it," he said.
The case was argued in November 2004 and in March of the next year, the court handed down a 5-4 ruling that allowed school personnel to bring forth a gender discrimination case under Title IX.
"I was in my classroom and a reporter called and told me the news. I was so extremely happy," Jackson said. "There were a lot of hugs and I was just blessed for all of the support that I got throughout the whole process.
"Most people didn't even know what Title IX was at the beginning. The girls on my old team have since grown and moved on, but they couldn't believe that someone had done all of that for them."
He still resides in Birmingham and continues to teach physical education, health and driver's education at what is now Jackson-Olin High School. He would like to resume a coaching career, but says there is still opposition to his return.
"Getting fired was damaging to my reputation but there was some vindication in the victory. Everything was never fully restored," said Jackson, who now plans to eventually attend law school. "I would love to be a coach again."