Considered a piece of college basketball history, Ray Jackson doesn't let his fame get in the way of his mission: "One Family, One Dream."

After a stellar college career as a member of the University of Michigan's "Fab Five," Jackson has returned to his native Austin, Texas, to run Rise Up, Inc. Athletic & Academic Program, a not-for-profit organization that focuses on the scholastic and athletic growth of children in central Texas. Jackson, 37, also is a coach for the Ray Jackson Rising Stars, a select basketball program affiliated with his organization consisting of some of the area's best talent.

Jackson teamed up with Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and Jimmy King at Michigan, forming one of the most exciting -- and most controversial -- units in college basketball history. While making two NCAA championship-game appearances in 1992 and 1993, Jackson and the Fab Five were a cultural phenomenon, assisting in linking a hip hop mentality with basketball. They wore longer shorts, black socks with black shoes and also sported shaved heads. Their story was told in the documentary "The Fab Five," the highest-rated documentary produced by ESPN Films.

Jackson, a star athlete out of Austin's LBJ High School, makes sure to emphasize the term "student-athlete" to his players in his academy. Many followers forget that he and King, the other Texan with the Fab Five (King graduated from Plano East Senior High School) were the only two members of the group to stay at Michigan for their full four years of eligibility.

Jackson got his national recognition with the help of basketball tournaments such as the Great American Shoot-Out. He now watches his Rising Stars build their legacy through the GASO events.

Here is the first part of a three-part series about Jackson -- basketball star, coach, mentor and, with today being Father's Day, a proud father of two sons. Look for Part 2 on Monday and Part 3 on Tuesday.

"I've been doing this for about seven years now. It started with basketball camps and then we started our select teams. The purpose was to get our kids exposure and to educate them. It's not just about basketball but life in general."

"We've been going since 2005, but this is the first time we've had teams compete on this level. We have all sophomores, but we're playing them all up. We're getting them a little playing competition, and it's helping to get them some exposure."

"I think the parents understand what we're doing here. We are trying to change how the kids and the parents look at the game, and I think the parents fully respect what we're doing here. With us, it's bigger than basketball."

"What we're trying to do is create a brand. We feel like we're one of the best things going in Austin. Our next step is to get classrooms where we can have academics and athletics. We want to build a place where we have diverse, intelligent men trying to make a difference in their lives."