How Good Was Bo Jackson Actually?

[Music] ask any kid from the 80s who is the greatest athlete in the world and they'll say bo jackson beau is a cultural megastar the only person to be selected as both an mlb and nfl all-star mythical stories of his athletic ability created a than life persona of bo jackson but just how good was he actually vincent edward bo jackson was born in 1962 to a family of 10 siblings raised in alabama vincent gained a notorious rep at a young age regularly fighting other kids he was so outlandish and crazy people began to call him the wild boar over his teens that became shortened and the nickname beau was born athletics were the only thing that could save beau from his troubled youth keeping him enthralled by competition instead of trouble that fire to be the best fueled his legendary work ethic it wouldn't take long before his natural abilities shined on a baseball field as he began to play summer leagues against grown men just for a challenge he attended mcgattery high school in macaula alabama from the outset beau was a great white shark in a small pond of alabama he became a three sports star in his rural town in track he won two state titles in the decathlon event dominating the competition so badly that he chose to sit out the last event both years because of his large point lead as a senior he won the alabama state championship in a hundred meter 200 meter and 400 meter hurdles high jump and long jump on the baseball diamond he tied the national record for home runs with 20. on the gridiron jackson ran for a thousand yards on only 100 carries heavily recruited by every big college in america and even drafted by the mlb beau decided to stay in state and attend auburn university as a freshman beau was immediately the tigers starting running back and the focal point of their offense his game-winning leaping touchdown beat their hated rival the alabama crimson tide for the first time in a decade as a sophomore he was named an all-american behind his 1200 rushing yards many pundits claimed that he would have won the heisman if he was a senior because at the time it was an unwritten rule to give the award to senior players following an injury-riddled junior season bo jackson cemented himself as an auburn sports legend rushing for 1700 yards and winning the heisman trophy he also commanded respect on the baseball field scouts were calling beau the best pure athlete in america the numerous stories about bo jackson start as he was preparing for the nfl draft without warming up bo jackson ran the most famous 40-yard dash in history scouts clocked him in at an incredible 4.12 a whole tenth of a second faster than anybody else in recorded history this skyrocketed jackson to the first overall pick in 1986 to the tampa bay buccaneers in one of the most controversial sports moments of the 80s the bucks didn't get an ncaa approval to meet with bo causing him to lose eligibility for his senior baseball season both thought this was a ploy by the bucks to force him to play football over baseball so he refused to play for tampa instead he began his professional baseball career with the kansas city royals the following year the oakland raiders drafted his rights in the seventh round as al davis believed in beau playing professional football and baseball at the same time bo jackson became the richest non-quarterback in football and was coming into his own as a baseball player as well now in the spotlight beau's incredible athletic displays made it to every television in the united states if it weren't for visual proof beau would be considered an urban legend on his first major league home run he broke his bat other home runs flew over 500 feet you would throw the ball from center field gunning down runners at home plate meanwhile on the gridiron he was easily flying by defenders for touchdowns brian bosworth was one of the baddest men in the world a six foot two 255 pound behemoth at linebacker he was known simply as the boss he and bo jackson would meet on monday night football in 1987. bosworth guaranteed that they would shut bo jackson down beau isn't a man of many words but he is a man of action beau blew past the boss for a 91-yard touchdown in the first quarter where he ran straight into the tunnel of the kingdom for an iconic moment in football history later in the game bo and baz met mono imano at the goal line where jackson proceeded to truck him for a touchdown beau would end monday night football with the single game rushing record with 221 yards bo jackson oozed charisma and the attention of the sports world after his nike campaign rocked the mainstream beau knows commercials were everywhere showing off new gear meant for cross training with beau being the only two sport athlete he was perfect for the role the commercials chronicled beau playing multiple sports where he would dominate because well bo knows in the 1989 all-star game jackson blasted an over 400-foot home run and took home the all-star mvp that same year he had the best season in his nfl career falling just short of a thousand yards and earning pro bowl honors 1989 put bo jackson into a class of his own he is still the only player to be an all-star in both the mlb and the nfl that season beau hit a home run on four straight at bats tying the record but sadly tragedy struck in 1991 in a playoff game against the cincinnati bengals beau was awkwardly hit by a defender and dislocated his hip to stay in the game beau popped the hip back in place causing further long-term damage to the blood vessels bo's left hip soon was unable to receive blood supply and the bone tissue died in the process this left fans and bow in devastation he abruptly retired from the nfl right as he was hitting his prime bow ended his football career with just over 3 000 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns in four seasons enraged by the time he would miss rehabbing a football injury the kansas city royals released beau he was picked up by the chicago white sox where he would play two more seasons in the mlb he continuously battled his left hip injury that kept him out for over a half of each season in true bono's fashion jackson promised his mom that he would hit a home run for her once he returned from his hip replacement injury unfortunately she passed before that moment came but bo did what he said he would smashing a ball into right field for a home run in his first at-bat back he retired from competition in 1994. bo is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time and his prime was robbed from both him and the sports world by a hip injury if not for this career-ending blow bo's accomplishments could have been endless and while bo knows we may never truly know how good beau jackson could have been so what do you guys think is bo jackson the best athlete of all time let me know your thoughts in the comments down below as always thanks for watching non-stop sports if you enjoyed the video go ahead and subscribe and drop a like on the video we'll catch you next time

Channel: Nonstop

Views: 625,911

Keywords: bo jackson, bo jackson baseball, bo jackson football, nfl, mlb, bo jackson highlights, bo jackson interview, bo jackson 40 yard dash, greatest athlete, bo jackson story, nfl history

Id: 2VbigO805EY

Length: 7min 14sec (434 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 19 2020