Jason Hairston

Jason Hairston (July 17, 1971 – September 4, 2018) was an American businessman and American football player who played in the National Football League. He was the founder and CEO of Kuiu, a hunting gear company.

Hairston grew up in Southern California. In high school, he was an All-Orange County defender at Foothill High School. He attended the University of California, Davis and, in 1993, was named a starting linebacker for UC Davis Aggies football. In his junior season, he broke his neck during a Division II playoff game, damaging his C5 and C6 vertebrae. In 1995, he was signed as an unrestricted free agent to the San Francisco 49ers. After a year with the team, he transferred to the Denver Broncos before retiring in 1996.[1]

Hairston was then a commercial real estate agent and founded the hunting gear company Sitka in 2005. He sold the company to Gore-Tex in 2009.[2] In 2010, he founded Kuiu,[3] which had expected sales of $50 million in 2016.[1][4]

Hairston was friends with Donald Trump Jr. and in March 2017 accepted a position as liaison to the United States Department of the Interior and hunting groups on conservation and public lands issues.[5] He and his wife Kirstyn had two children. He was found dead at his home in Dixon, California, on September 4, 2018, later announced to be from suicide.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 Erk, Andy (August 12, 2016). "Former NFL player Jason Hairston sits atop hunting gear business". Sports Illustrated.
  2. ↑ Wisner, Matthew (December 9, 2016). "Jason Hairston on Going From NFL to 'Gucci of Hunting'". Fox Business.
  3. ↑ Siler, Wes (February 28, 2017). "Why Your Next Hiking Boot Might Be Designed for Hunters". Outside Online.
  4. ↑ Stock, Kyle (February 9, 2016). "A Camouflage Clothing Line Wants to Be Lululemon for Hunters". Bloomberg Businessweek.
  5. ↑ Whieldon, Esther (March 17, 2017). "Donald Trump Jr. taps hunting pal for Interior liaison". Politico.
  6. ↑ Robertson, Michelle (September 6, 2018). "Jason Hairston, former 49ers linebacker and hunting gear mogul, dies at 47". San Francisco Chroncle. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  7. ↑ Davidson, Joe (September 6, 2018). "Jason Hairston, KUIU hunting gear CEO and former UC Davis football star, has died". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
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