"He played with a chip on his shoulder. All the fighting from being made fun of and growing up poor environment. Sports were his way of just letting loose,"-Anonymous


Bo grew up with the constant flow of struggles in sight. Ms. Jackson had to hold many jobs to provide for all 10 of the Jackson's . To only live with his mom, it was very hard for Bo in his family.

Jackson would be embarrassed or ashamed that he did not have a dad at home with him. When he was little up until he was 11 years old, Bo thought that having a dad, meant someone who stopped by once a month and left twenty bucks."I had a father, but never a dad"

Jackson's dad had lived on the other side of town, when Bo was growing up. His dad, A.D. Adams provided little support in his life. Mr. Adams even had a separate family, and the best thing that he could do for the Jacksons was provide little mutual support.


But there would be one constant shadow from his father that would always fallow Jackson throughout his childhood.

The stutter.
Bo Jackson inherited a stutter from his father. And would constantly get made fun of for it. And the only way he could vent his anger was through fighting. He would fight and threw rocks. Sometimes it would be 1 on 10 and Jackson would always win.
"I would through rocks through the screen door. They would run inside thinking they were safe, and something would come flying in"


Some times he threw rocks at people's pigs. He was nicknamed "the wild boar hog" , the nickname which eventually shortened to "Bo". But there was another way he let loose with his anger. Sports.


Bo would always dominate on the field. In any sport. It was sheer determination and a strive for success. The passion to have fun and to do something were all of his struggles vanished.


In the neighborhood he grew up in, Bo would always be playing sports. But, his mom made sure that the same effort was put into schoolwork. Although, by the time Bo was on his way to high school, it was clear that he was going to be very good and would excel tremendously in athletics.

Bo Jackson attended McAdory High School. This is where he first excelled in sports. And not just one. Or two, but he played three sports in high school. And was the best in each of them.


Baseball, football, and track. Those were the three varsity sports Jackson played. But out of the three, track was his first love. In high school, he set a state record, 6'8" high jump. Also had about a 19 foot triple jump. Not to mention his over 13 foot pole vault. Most people, who saw what he would do couldn't believe it. Because they thought the things he was doing was impossible.


But, it would soon become clear that he was even better at football and baseball. He was a pure superhuman. In football at McAdory high school he broke many records and won many awards. Which include, being a two time All-American (in 1983 & 1985). Bo would make some of the best high school players look like kids playing against a man.


And don't count out baseball. It would the Bo Jackson bomb show. He could do it all. Run, hit, hit for power, field, and throw. Then slowly but surely, scouts would start to show up. That's when the owner of the Yankees, George Steinbrenner wanted to draft him straight out of high school.


A scout from the Yankees showed up and wanted to see Bo Jackson hit. The coach said the scout could see two pitches. Bo and the high school Coach get into the cage. The first pitch Bo takes him deep to the top left corner of the batting cage. He hits the bar of the cage so hard that the whole thing collapsed. And with that, the scout had seen enough.


Steinbrenner wanted to draft Jackson. And he was going to offer a $1/4 million dollar signing bonus and keep going up, until he signed. Bo turned it down. He promised his mom that he would be the first in the family to go to college. There he would also play baseball and football.
"I don't need Steinbrenner's money. We've gotten along just fine without it" Mrs. Jackson


Then during the football season it happened. Bo's Coach gave him a ride home and he walks in to find a man having coffee with his mother. The man was a coach for Paul Bryant at the University of Alabama. And he said that they wanted Bo to come to Alabama and play. But, he wouldn't be able to play until the end of his junior year or the beginning of his senior year. This did not settle well with Bo.


But again the same scenario. This time two men from Auburn University. And head Coach Pat Dye, personally asked him to come to auburn University and start as a freshman. And from that moment Bo committed to Auburn. That would be where he would play both Baseball and football. He was going to college.

In 1982 Bo Jackson officially committed to attend Auburn University. Jackson would be able to play football, baseball, and track at the division one level.

In college, Bo would run the 100 meter dash, and would eventually qualify for nationals, and even think about running professionally. But running would not be able to provide the financial security that the MLB or NFL would. He would even have a 4.12 second 40 yard dash. "He had speed like a deer"

But in football and baseball he would dominate. He would share the backfield with Auburn football greats and play incredibly in baseball.

"I was talking about my new job, and they said, 'oh yah by the way, you'll be coaching the greatest athlete that ever lived'" -Hal Baird Auburn head football coach 1985-2000

Now in college, Bo Jackson had the best of both worlds. He would dominate on the football and baseball field.

"You know that saying, 'With a player that good just put a jersey on him and get him to the field on time'? That's pretty much what we did with Bo" -Hal Baird


In Jackson's college career, he had piled up 4,303 rushing yards, with 43 touchdowns. He would also hold a conference (SEC) record with an average carry distance of 6.6 yards.


He was an all around unstoppable player. Bo was like a train steering down the field. He made the best of players look absolutely silly. A man among boys.


Then there was the Iron Bowl. Auburn vs. Alabama. The tide had not lost to Auburn in 10 years. And it looked like it would be 11 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. 22-14. Then Auburn strikes making it 22-17 Alabama. Then Bo took over.


Jackson with 17 carries all game with 114 yards carried his team down the field. Then it was 4th down on the Crimson Tide one yard line, with 2:26 left in the game. The Bo got the carry and jumps in the end zone over the entire O and D line. And Auburn beat Alabama for the first time in 10 years.


In his college career Bo Jackson won the Sugar Bowl (which is a BCS), and the Liberty bowl. And in the Liberty bowl, he was awarded MVP. He would also go on to win multiple other awards.


In Baseball, Bo was just as incredible. For the Auburn baseball squad, Jackson batted .401 with 17 home runs. Also he would put up, 43 RBI's. Bo would consistently hit the cover off of the ball. Also, with his incomparable skills on defense, he would prove to be the all around perfect player.

All though he missed out on his sophomore season of 1984, due to a separated shoulder in football, Jackson would have the skills, the heart, and the body to be the greatest athlete that ever walked out on a field. Then, the most memorable part of Jackson’s college career, would be on December 12, 1985.
“And the winner of the 51st Heisman Memorial trophy is, Bo Jackson, running from Auburn University.”

And just another way for Bo to separate himself from so many other players, he won the Heisman trophy. An honor to award the most outstanding football player, who plays with excellence and integrity. They show great ability with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. Only 50 players before him, had brought home the trophy. And Bo was the 51st.


It would be clear that Jackson would definitely be the 1st pick in the following NFL draft. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were very interested in the multi-sport wonder. Jackson visited Tampa and it looked as if all would be well, the Buccaneers would draft Jackson, and he would sign. And Heisman trophy winner Bo Jackson would be the star of the backfield for Tampa Bay.

But something happened that would be the only dark spot on Jackson’s record.

“The NCAA has declared Bo Jackson ineligible for college athletics for the remainder of his senior year”

When Bo went to Tampa to see the facility, something happened. The Buccaneers, not wanting to lose Jackson to baseball, sent a private jet to pick him up and fly him to Tampa Bay. When Jackson made sure that it was legal to accept the flight, the Buccaneers said it was.

Tampa Bay had said that they had checked with the NCAA and they said that the trip was perfectly fine and legal. But, that conversation never took place. The trip was against NCAA regulations.



And Bo was back from his trip, getting ready to play in his baseball game.
“In my senior year, I was tearing the cover off the ball.”-Bo
But head coach Hal Baird had to be the barer of the awful news. Bo was ready to play, when he was told the NCAA sanctions.
“And I lain there, and I just cried”
Bo was having the season of his life. He was hitting over .400 with a ton of homeruns. Making incredible plays in the outfield. And just like that, it was gone. Most likely the Buccaneers saw the incredible season he was having. Then they decided to try to take baseball out of the picture, so they would have him full time and with no conflicting temptations.
So, they decided that the easiest way to do it would be, say a trip was legal, and get him suspended. Then, they would draft him in the first round and Bo would be the running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And it turned out just the way they wanted it to. But just until it was time to draft him. Bo had vowed that they could draft him, but they would be wasting a first round draft pick. Because, he wouldn’t sign. No matter how much they would offer him. They ruined college baseball for Bo, so he would ruin their draft. The Buccaneers kept going up with their offer of a signing bonus, but Bo never signed. And that was how it happened.

In 1987, the Kansas City Royals were called by Bo Jackson’s agent. He said that Bo (know out of college) wanted to come out to Kansas City, meet the players, and see the ballpark. At first the Royals were shocked, but they were excited that a player like him would consider the Royals.

But, they were a little hesitant to draft him. Because they didn’t want to waste a high draft pick, when they didn’t even know if he would sign. But in the fourth round, the Royals owner, Ewing Kaufman, said, “the franchise won’t fold on a fourth round draft pick.” So, why not? And after the fourth round of the 1987 draft, Bo Jackson was a Kansas City Royal.

At the press conference, for Bo at Royals Stadium, they had a media turnout, like they just won the World Series. Bo was officially announced the newest member of the Kansas City Royals. At the end a reported asked, “what are you going to do know Bo?” And he said that he was going to take some batting practice.
And the first swing BO Jackson took in his new stadium, the ball he smashed, hit the crown in center field. And anybody familiar with that field knows, nobody has ever done that before, and if the crown was not there, it probably would have gone about 700 feet. And the famous Buck O’Neil (who was blind said), “In all my years, I’ve only heard that sound off of the bat three times. One was Babe Ruth. The second was Josh Gibson. And the third is today. Bo Jackson.”

On September 9, 1986 Bo Jackson made his Major League debut. He faced pitcher Steve Carlton. Who won 4 CY Young awards, 4163 strikeouts, and had 329 wins. One of the best pitchers ever, in the Hall of Fame, would face the rookie debuting Bo Jackson. And the first pitch, he hits it over the foul pole. And the umpire called it foul. But that, was just the beginning. Then on September 15, 1985 he hit his first Major League homerun. And it measured 500 feet. It was the closest ball ever hit, to going out of the entire ballpark.

Another insane thing that he did was there was a long fly ball to left in the corner. And Bo swoops in and catches it. But he was running so fast that he was going to smash right into the wall. So what did he do? Just like a spider, he ran up the wall and on the side, hopped down and just kept running.
“It made me look twice and say ‘Hey, did he just run up that wall?’”-George Brett-Hall of Famer- and Royals third baseman

Bo would just do things you couldn’t comprehend. Like his arm strength. One game he had a line drive hit to the corner of left field. Then from the warning track, which was about 400 feet away from home, he fired a bullet that soared through the air and no bounce to the catcher to get the tying run out at the plate. He was also selected to the 1989 All-Star game, and won the MVP of the All-Star game.

Superhuman.














































The Oakland Raiders came up with “the biggest NFL draft steal.”
A year after his first round drafting, playing for the Royals in the MLB, Bo received a call from his Agent. He said “there is a team that wants to know if you still want to play football. And it’s the L.A. Raiders” and Bo said “heck yes”

So in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL draft, the L.A. Raiders selected Bo Jackson. The Raiders would allow Jackson to play baseball, and when the season ended, come and play football. And they gave him the salary of a fulltime football player with his skills. A Two sport Pro.


And just as great as he was in baseball, he was incredible in pro football as well. One time Jackson broke out for a huge run, almost the whole length of the field, and when he reached the
end zone he couldn’t stop running. So, what did he do? Kept running and ran down the tunnel at the back of the end zone almost into the locker room.

Then there was the time he piled rived Seattle Seahawk Brian Bosworth at the goal line on Monday Night Football. In the NFL, Jackson averaged a remarkable 5.5 yards per carry. And in 1989 he had 950 yards rushing.
The great Bo Jackson had the best carrier that anybody had ever seen.

In 1989 a new kind of advertising arises. The cross trainer Nike shoes. But with that, came Bo Knows. To advertise multiple sports training Nike came out with the Bo Knows advertisements. The commercial, was many different sports and things with Bo Jackson doing/playing them. Kirk Gibson said, “Bo knows baseball.” Then he plays basketball, tennis, and ice hockey. Then he runs with Michael Jordan. “Bo Knows”


And then it all started to catch on. Everybody had a Bo Knows shirt. Anybody who plays sports has the Nike Cross trainers. And so many people were talking about Bo Jackson. Then at the beach or across the street from the Ballpark there would be “fake” Bo Knows shirts. Which would say things like, “Bo Knows your secrets” or “Bo Knows your mom” it would all be just so big, and so much publicity.


Then at games when Bo was up to bat, or had just gone for a run on the field there would be the BO KNOWS chants. All of this made this incredible figure seem even more larger than life. The things he did and the publicity he got just mad him so widely known, but made everybody love the two sport pro athlete. And made all the young athletes say, “Hey, why should I only play one sport. Why shouldn’t I be like Bo and play two?”
That was a legacy of Bo Jackson

Many times when we think of Bo Jackson we think of a lot of big things that happened in a very short amount of time. And it is a shame that we couldn’t see how truly great this unreal man could have been. Because of his hip injury, that had to be replaced by an artificial, we never got to see what would have been.


When he unfortunately had to stop, he was just getting started with both of his careers. And I can’t even imagine what kind of things we would remember from him he would have not gotten hurt the way he did. We would have seen THE ENTIRE Greatest Athlete that Ever Lived.


Due, to his very short career he won’t land a spot in the Hall of Fame. For either sport. If he had a full length of a career, Bo Jackson would probably be in BOTH the MLB and the NFL Hall of Fame.

What would have been would always be a mystery, but what isn’t a mystery is clear. We will never see a player as skilled and as God gifted as Bo Jackson. Ever.


But everything he did mad you feel like you were watching a movie instead of real life football or baseball. The plays he made would make your jaw drop on a daily basis. The hits made you feel like the he was shooting the ball out of a gun.


In baseball, he was a defensive black hole. He would turn on every pitch so hard, you were afraid he would break his back. Only one way to describe it. The Greatest.


In football Jackson was insane. I mean in the top football video game back then, they made Bo Jackson better than everybody else, so he would score every time.



Jackson ran like this, “There’s a train coming and you’re standing in the tracks”


There would be no possible way to stop him. Only one way to describe it. The Greatest.














BO KNOWS YOU READ THIS BOOK