Bo Jackson is a former baseball and football player from the United States who is the only athlete to be selected an All-Star in two major sports. When he opted to play both professional baseball and football at the same time, he became the most well-known professional athlete to do so. Due to a tremendously successful national advertising campaign with ‘Nike,’ the ‘Bo Knows’ series, all of America knew him simply by his first name, ‘Bo.’ He was a standout football player for the ‘National Football League’ (NFL’Los )’s Angeles Raiders,’ as well as a standout baseball player for the ‘Kansas City Royals,’ ‘Chicago White Sox,’ and ‘California Angels,’ in the ‘Major League Baseball’ (MLB). His football career was cut short due to a major hip injury, but he was able to continue playing baseball until his retirement. Jackson’s speed and power earned him prizes and respect on both the baseball diamond and the football field. “I had no intention of becoming a Hall of Fame baseball or football player. I simply enjoyed playing. Without a doubt, “On ESPN Classic’s ‘Sports-Century’ series, Bo Jackson said. Jackson was a cultural superstar who had a tremendous impact on the history of American sports, despite his injuries preventing him from completely reaching his physical ability on a professional level.
Childhood and Adolescence
Vincent Edward Jackson was born on November 30, 1962, in Bessemer, Alabama, and reared there. Since his father, A.D. Bond, died when he was eight years old, he and his siblings were mostly supported by his mother, Florence Jackson Bond. Florence Adams was never married to Adams.
Jackson was given the nickname ‘Bo’ after the ‘wild boar hog’ because he was always getting into mischief. His time as a hoodlum was cut short when he met Dick Atchinson, a track and football coach at McCalla, Alabama’s ‘McAdory High School.’
In the second round of the ‘Major League Baseball Draft,’ he turned down an offer from the ‘New York Yankees.’ Instead, he enrolled at ‘Auburn University,’ where he excelled in baseball, football, and track.
Career of Bo Jackson
The ‘Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ selected Jackson as the first overall pick in the ‘1986 NFL Draft,’ but he chose to play baseball for the ‘Kansas City Royals.’ Beginning in 1987, he also played football for the ‘Los Angeles Raiders.’
In terms of performance, 1990 was by far the best year of his career. In football, he averaged 11.3 yards per reception and 5.6 yards per rush. He had a 0.272 batting average in baseball.
In 1991, while playing with the Raiders, he sustained a severe hip injury that ended his football career. Later that year, he was acquired by the ‘Chicago White Sox’ from the Kansas City Royals. In 1993, he was instrumental in the team’s victory in the American League West. Following the 1994 season, he decided to retire from baseball in order to spend more time with his family.
He retired in 1994 with a 0.250 batting average after playing for the ‘Kansas City Royals,’ ‘Chicago White Sox,’ and ‘California City Angels.’ In football, he had a terrific average of 8.8 yards per reception and 5.4 yards per rush while playing for the ‘Los Angeles Raiders.’
He dabbled in acting throughout the 1990s, making multiple television guest appearances and small roles in a few films. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Family and Child Development from Auburn University in 1995.
Bo formed the ‘Bo Jackson Elite Sports Complex,’ a multi-sports dome complex in Lockport, Illinois, with John Cangelosi in 2007. Other investments, such as a food company called ‘N’Genuity,’ have paid well for him. In the Chicago suburbs, he is also part of a group of investors who hold ‘The Burr Ridge Bank and Trust.’
In the fall of 2010, Jackson returned to do advertisements for ‘Nike’ for their ‘BOOM’ campaign, 20 years after his legendary ‘Bo Knows’ campaign. Jackson returned to the ‘Chicago White Sox’ as an ambassador on January 22, 2014.
Achievements & Awards
Jackson won the ‘Heisman Trophy’ in 1985 while at ‘Auburn University.’ In 1987, he won the ‘Bert Bell Trophy,’ the NFL’s ‘Rookie of the Year Award.’ He was named ‘American League All-Star’ and ‘All-Star Game MVP’ in 1989. Jackson was selected one of ‘People’ magazine’s ’25 Most Intriguing People’ in 1990. In 1992, he received the ‘Jim Thorpe Legacy Award’ as well as the Easter Seals’ ‘Power to Overcome Award.’
He sponsored ‘Nike’ in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was a part of the ‘Bo Knows’ marketing campaign. His computerized counterpart, dubbed ‘Tecmo Bo,’ was dubbed ‘the best athlete in video game history.’
He won the ‘Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year’ award in 1993. In 1996, he was inducted into the ‘Alabama Sports Hall of Fame,’ and in 1999, he was inducted into the ‘College Football Hall of Fame.’ Jackson was awarded the ‘Greatest Athlete of All Time’ by ESPN Sport Science in March 2013.
Personal History and Legacy
Jackson has three children with his wife Linda, a clinical psychologist: boys Garrett and Nicholas, and daughter Morgan. The family lives in a private residence in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
In 2012, he completed a 300-mile charity bike ride and founded the ‘Bo Bikes Bama’ initiative to help victims of the tornado that devastated parts of Alabama. It has now become an annual event.
Trivia
Vince Edwards, the star of his mother’s favorite TV show at the time, was his name. He had struggled with behavioral issues during his adolescence, being labeled as stubborn and hard-headed.
Bo is known for speaking in the third person about himself. Only his wife is allowed to address him by his given name, Vince, according to a Sports Illustrated piece.
In 1990, he co-wrote his autobiography, ‘Bo Knows Bo,’ with Dick Schaap. From his upbringing in Bessemer, Alabama, until his peak physical ability in 1990, the book chronicles his life.