Former St. John's standout Tony Jackson passed away on Friday after several months of illness, the school reported. Jackson was 62.

Jackson, a native of Brooklyn, starred for St. John's under the late Joe Lapchick, lettering three times from 1958-59 to 1960-61.

"There is no doubt that Tony is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play at St. John's University," said Lou Carnesecca, the former St. John's legendary head coach. "Besides his qualities as a basketball player, he was a sweetheart of a guy. He was a gentle, considerate human being and was loved by all."

Jackson, a two-time consensus All-American, is currently listed ninth among all-time St. John's scoring leaders with 1,603 points. He is also third on the all-time rebounding list with 991 career boards.

Jackson was drafted with the first pick in the third round of the 1961 NBA draft by the New York Knickerbockers. In 1968, he joined the ABA's New Jersey Americans, where he scored 19.4 points per game. In 1969, Jackson played for three ABA teams: the Houston Mavericks, the Minnesota Pipers and the New York Nets. He finished his ABA career with a 15.9 scoring average.