| Bo Jackson is probably the best athlete to come | | | | Olympic track team when his times in the 100 |
| out of Auburn University and is arguably one of | | | | meter dash indicated that he could have a |
| the greatest athletes of the twentieth century. | | | | promising career as a world class sprinter. |
| Were it not for a horrific January, 1991 hip injury | | | | Ultimately the notion of pursuing sprinting was |
| the Heisman Trophy winner with world class | | | | dropped because it did not offer the same type |
| sprinter speed who was an All-Star in both the | | | | of financial incentives as football or baseball. |
| National Football League (NFL) and Major League | | | | After serving as an exceptional athlete at Auburn |
| Baseball (MLB) might have gone on to truly | | | | during the first half of the 1980s Bo Jackson |
| rewrite the definition of an all-around athlete. As | | | | would go on to take the professional sports world |
| an aside few people realize Jackson was also a | | | | by storm throughout the remainder of the |
| state champion decathlete in his youth. | | | | decade while playing baseball for the Kansas City |
| The Alabama native born Vincent Edward Jackson | | | | Royals as an outfielder and football for the |
| was described as a restless child with qualities not | | | | Oakland Raiders as a running back. The year 1989 |
| unlike those of a wild boar with an abundance of | | | | was the pinnacle of the sports career of Bo |
| energy. Over time the comparison to a wild boar | | | | Jackson when he was selected to the MLB all-star |
| stuck and as Jackson aged the nickname was | | | | game (where he won the all-star game MVP |
| shorted simply to Bo. Growing up in McCalla, | | | | award) and the NFL pro bowl in recognition of his |
| Alabama Bo excelled at sports with perhaps his | | | | accomplishments on the grid iron during the 1989 |
| most notable prep level accomplishment being | | | | football season. Sadly a NFL playoff game hip |
| that in his senior baseball season he hit an | | | | injury on January 13, 1991 eventually resulted in |
| astounding 20 home runs in 25 games. Projected | | | | the need for a hip replacement and although Bo |
| over a 162 game major league baseball season | | | | made a short comeback in baseball for all intents |
| that rate would produce a mind blowing 130 home | | | | and purposes the injury ushered in the end of |
| runs (roughly doubling the current record). | | | | what might have otherwise been the most prolific |
| Despite being a second round draft pick by the | | | | athletic career in history. Due to his career |
| New York Yankees right out of high school Bo | | | | shortening injury Bo Jackson is often only a |
| Jackson instead chose to attend Auburn | | | | footnote in sports history but when considering |
| University in Auburn, Alabama located about 120 | | | | his collegiate and dual sport professional success it |
| miles west of his McCalla home. During his stint at | | | | is fair to say Bo Jackson was the American |
| Auburn University from 1982 to 1985 Bo not only | | | | athlete of the 1980s just as Michael Jordan was |
| excelled at baseball (batting.400) and football | | | | of the 1990s and Tom Brady or Tiger Woods |
| (winning the Heisman Trophy) but even gave | | | | arguably were of the 2000s. |
| thought to becoming a member of the US | | | | |