Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is an American former professional baseball and football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to have been named an All-Star in two major American sports. Jackson's achievements at the elite levels of multiple sports have given him a reputation as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Jackson played college baseball as an outfielder and college football as a running back for the Auburn Tigers, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1985. He played in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Raiders and in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and California Angels. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame in 2024.
In 1989 and 1990, Jackson's name became known beyond just sports through the "Bo Knows" advertising campaign, a series of advertisements by Nike, starring Jackson alongside musician Bo Diddley, promoting a cross-training athletic shoe named for Jackson.
A 1991 hip injury ended his football career and caused him to miss the entire 1992 MLB season; he returned to win The Sporting News AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1993, and retired after the strike-shortened 1994 season. Jackson expanded into other pursuits, including the completion of his Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Development at Auburn. Jackson still holds the NFL record for most runs of 90+ yards from scrimmage with two. In addition, Jackson appeared in small roles as an actor in television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Married... with Children, as well as films such as The Chamber. He's been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated 13 times.
Early life
Jackson, the eighth of ten children, was born on November 30, 1962, and raised in Bessemer, Alabama. He did not meet his father until age 10. His family referred to him as a "wild boar hog," as he would constantly get into trouble. This was later shortened to "Bo", the name he has gone by ever since.Jackson attended McAdory High School in McCalla, where he served as the team's running back and rushed for 1,175 yards on 118 carries with 17 touchdowns as a senior. He also excelled in baseball, breaking the national high school record for home runs by hitting 20 in 25 games during his senior season.
In track and field, Jackson was a two-time state champion in the decathlon. Both times that he was the decathlon state champion, he built up such a commanding points lead before the 1500 meters that he never competed in that event. "Distance is the only thing I hate about track," he said. Jackson set state high school records for indoor high jump, which stood for 37 years, and triple jump.
College (1982–1986)
In June 1982, Jackson was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft and was offered a $250,000 contract, but he instead chose to attend Auburn University on a football scholarship because he promised his mother he would be the first in the family to go to a major college. He was recruited by head coach Pat Dye and then Auburn assistant coach Bobby Wallace alongside defensive head coach Dominic Sauer. At Auburn, he proved to be a tremendous athlete in both baseball and football. He shared the backfield with quarterback Randy Campbell, Lionel "Little Train" James and Tommie Agee.Collegiate football
During his time playing for the Auburn Tigers football team, he ran for 4,303 career yards, which was the fourth-best performance in Southeastern Conference history and still stands as the school record. Jackson finished his career with an average of 6.6 yards per carry, which set the SEC record.In 1982, Jackson's freshman year, Auburn played Boston College in the Tangerine Bowl, where Jackson made a one-handed grab on an option pitch. Auburn went on to win the game 33–26 as Jackson rushed 14 times for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
In 1983, as a sophomore, Jackson rushed for 1,213 yards on 158 carries, for an average of 7.7 yards per carry, which was the second-best single-season average in SEC history. In the 1983 Auburn-Alabama game, Jackson rushed for 256 yards on 20 rushes, which at the time was the sixth-most rushing yards gained in a game in SEC history and the second best yard-per-rush average in a game in SEC history. Auburn finished the season by winning the Sugar Bowl against Michigan, where Jackson was named Most Valuable Player. In 1984, Jackson's junior year, he earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Liberty Bowl after defeating Arkansas.
In 1985, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards, which was the second-best single-season performance in SEC history. For his performance in 1985, Jackson was awarded the Heisman Trophy in what was considered the closest margin of victory ever in the history of the award, winning over University of Iowa quarterback Chuck Long. In 1986, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.
Jackson finished his career at Auburn with 4,575 all-purpose yards and 45 total touchdowns, 43 rushing and two receiving, with a 6.6 yards per carry average. Jackson's football number 34 was officially retired at Auburn in a halftime ceremony on October 31, 1992. His is one of only three numbers retired at Auburn. The others are 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan's number 7, and the number 88 of Sullivan's teammate and favorite receiver, Terry Beasley. In 2007, Jackson was ranked #8 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list. In 2025, Auburn honored Jackson at the Iron Bowl to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his Heisman Trophy-winning season.
Statistics
Collegiate baseball
Jackson missed much of his senior season after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA following a visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom he believes tried to sabotage his baseball career.In an April 1985 report, a major league scout stated that Jackson's only weakness was a lack of baseball experience. The scout said that he could be one of the all-time greats barring any injuries. He had a minor shoulder injury in the beginning of his collegiate football career, which didn't cause him issues in the long term. The scout also noted that this was his first year playing baseball and he seemed to be a "do-it-all type of player" and also stated he was "the best pure athlete in America today". At the time, Jackson was 22 years old, and trying to make an even bigger name for himself than he already had in his football career. In this scouting report, Jackson's worth to an MLB team was listed at only $200,000, much less than what he would end up taking home later on in his short-lived careers.
Statistics
"Bo Over the Top"
On November 27, 1982, Jackson and the Tigers found themselves embattled with their heated in-state rival, Alabama, in the Iron Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama. Auburn held a 14–13 halftime lead when Alabama running back Paul Ott Carruth scored on an eight-yard touchdown run—and then the Crimson Tide added a field goal to make it a 22–14 Alabama lead going into the fourth quarter. Auburn responded as Al Del Greco made a 23-yard field goal to make it a 22–17 score in the fourth quarter. From Auburn's own 34-yard line, Jackson and company began a long drive as he converted on a 4th-and-1 at the Alabama 42. Jackson, who ran 17 times for 114 yards during this Iron Bowl, continued marching his team downfield as he caught an 8-yard pass from quarterback Randy Campbell down to the Alabama one-yard line. During the huddle, Jackson convinced Coach Dye to let him go over the top of offensive and defensive lines because he was a seven-foot high jumper in high school and the other team wouldn't be expecting it. On fourth down with 2:26 left in the game, Jackson completed the drive by going over the top for a one-yard touchdown run as Auburn pulled off a 23–22 victory over Alabama and coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.College track and field
While at McAdory High School, Jackson competed as a sprinter, hurdler, jumper, thrower and decathlete. His best 100-meter time in high school was 10.44 seconds, but he would later run a 10.39 at Auburn. He also ran the 100-yard dash in 9.59 seconds and the 60-yard dash in 6.18 seconds. As a hurdler, he recorded times of 7.29 seconds in the 55m hurdles and 13.81 seconds in the 110m hurdles. In decathlon, he reached 8,340 points. In the jumping events, he had personal-best jumps of in the high jump, in the long jump and in the triple jump. As a thrower, he got top-throws of in the shot put and in the discus throw.Jackson qualified for the NCAA nationals in the 100-meter dash in his freshman and sophomore years. He considered a career in track and field, but sprinting would not gain him the financial security of MLB or the NFL, nor would he have sufficient time to train, given his other commitments. When asked if he ran a 4.12 40-yard dash at the 1986 NFL Scouting Combine, the fastest time ever recorded in NFL Combine history and a time that has been rumored from several sources, Jackson claimed some of the coaches hand-timed him at 3.9 and 4.0, but that he actually ran a 4.13 electronic-timed 40-yard dash at a pro day at Auburn University. He also stated he did not attend the 1986 Scouting Combine: "I did not go because I was already picked to be the first person to go in the draft," Jackson said. "If you're going to be the first person to go in the draft, why should you go to a combine and do all of that?"
Personal bests
Professional sports career
Baseball
Kansas City Royals
Jackson was selected with the first overall pick of the 1986 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He refused to play for them after a visit to team facilities using a private jet caused him to be ineligible to finish out his final college baseball season. The Buccaneers said the use of the jet was NCAA-approved, which was not the case. Jackson believes that the failure to obtain NCAA approval was deliberate and was intended by the Buccaneers to get him to play football instead of baseball. He vowed not to sign with Tampa Bay should they draft him, which they did anyway. He kept his vow and opted to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals, the defending World Series champions, who drafted him in the fourth round, in the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. Shortly after the draft, Jackson signed a three-year contract with the Royals worth just over $1 million. He spent 53 games with the Memphis Chicks, the Royals' Class AA minor league affiliate, and was called up to the majors in September 1986. Jackson made his major league debut on September 2 against the Chicago White Sox, and finished the game 1-for-3. He made the Royals' roster in 1987 as a left fielder, and batted.235 with 22 home runs, 53 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 116 games; his 22 home runs set a Royals rookie record.File:1986 Jennings Southern League All-Stars - Bo Jackson.jpg|thumb|right|A 1986 baseball card of Jackson with the Memphis Chicks
On July 29, 1988, playing against the Baltimore Orioles, Jackson, batting against Jeff Ballard, attempted to call time out as Ballard was delivering the ball. The time-out wasn't granted, but Jackson recovered to swing and hit the pitch over the left-field wall for a home run despite taking one hand off the bat at the beginning of the at bat. He finished the 1988 season batting.246 with 25 home runs, 68 RBI and a career-high 27 stolen bases in 124 games, becoming the first Royals player to record a 25–25 season.
Jackson began to show his true potential in 1989, and was voted to start for the American League All-Star team and named the MVP for his play on both offense and defense. In the top of the first inning, he caught Pedro Guerrero's two-out line drive to left-center field to save two runs. Then he led off the bottom of the first—his first All-Star plate appearance—with a monstrous home run against Rick Reuschel of the San Francisco Giants. NBC-TV announcer Vin Scully exclaimed, "Look at that one! Bo Jackson says hello!" Wade Boggs followed with his own home run, making them the first pair in All-Star history to lead off the first inning with back-to-back home runs. In the second inning, he beat the throw on a potential double play to drive in the eventual winning run. He then stole second base, making him the second player in All-Star Game history to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game. Jackson finished the game 2-for-4 with one run scored and two RBI.
In 1989, Jackson batted.256 with 32 home runs and 105 RBI in 135 games. His 172 strikeouts tied him for 10th most strikeouts in a season for a right-handed batter since 1893. On July 11, 1990, against the Orioles, Jackson performed his famous "wall run", when he caught a ball six strides away from the wall. As he caught the ball at full tilt, Jackson looked up and ran three steps along the wall, to avoid impact and the risk of injury from the fence.
Before Royals games, Jackson used to shoot at a target with a bow and arrow in the Royals clubhouse.
During the 1990 season, Jackson hit HRs in four consecutive at-bats, tying a Major League record. His fourth came off Randy Johnson, after hitting his first three before a stint on the disabled list. Unwilling to pay his $2.375 million salary in 1991 to rehabilitate his football injury, the Royals released Jackson on March 18, 1991.
On March 13, 2024, the Royals announced that Jackson had been elected to the Royals Hall of Fame and would be inducted before the team's June 29 game against Cleveland.