Bo Jackson: The Auburn Years - A Collegiate Legend

Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson, born on November 30, 1962, stands as a monumental figure in the history of college athletics. Best known for his achievements at Auburn University, Jackson excelled in both baseball and football, earning national recognition and cementing his place as one of the greatest all-around athletes. This article explores Jackson's remarkable college career, focusing on his statistics, accolades, and the lasting impact he had on Auburn University and the world of sports.

Early Life and Recruitment

Jackson, the eighth of ten children, was born and raised in Bessemer, Alabama. He attended McAdory High School in McCalla, where he excelled in football, baseball, and track and field, drawing the attention of college scouts from all three sports. Despite being drafted by the New York Yankees in 1982, Jackson chose to honor his promise to his mother and become the first in his family to attend a major college, accepting a football scholarship from Auburn University. He was recruited by head coach Pat Dye and then Auburn assistant coach Bobby Wallace alongside defensive head coach Dominic Sauer.

Football Career at Auburn

Freshman Year Impact

Jackson made an immediate impact for the Auburn Tigers as a true freshman in 1982, rushing for 829 yards and nine touchdowns. This early success hinted at the extraordinary career that was to follow.

Sophomore Surge

In 1983, Jackson's sophomore year, he rushed for 1,213 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging nearly eight yards per carry. This performance helped the Tigers achieve an impressive 11-1 record and finish third in the national polls. In the 1983 Auburn-Alabama game, Jackson rushed for 256 yards on 20 rushes (12.8 yards per carry), 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 (minimum 20 attempts) in SEC history. Auburn finished the season by winning the Sugar Bowl against Michigan, where Jackson was named Most Valuable Player.

Overcoming Injuries

Injuries limited Jackson's playing time in 1984, but he still managed to contribute 475 yards and five touchdowns. Despite facing further injury challenges as a senior in 1985, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards and 17 touchdowns, leading Auburn to an 8-3 season.

The Heisman Trophy

Jackson's outstanding performance in 1985 earned him the Heisman Trophy, Auburn's second, following Pat Sullivan in 1971. The Heisman voting was notably close, with Jackson edging out Chuck Long of Iowa.

Legacy and Records

A three-time All-Southeastern Conference and two-time All-American selection, Jackson is the only running back in Auburn history to rush for more than 4,000 yards (4,303) in a career. He also ranks as Auburn’s second all-time leading scorer with 45 touchdowns. 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.

Key Moments

On November 27, 1982, Jackson and the Tigers found themselves embattled with their heated in-state rival, Alabama (7-3), 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.

Baseball Career at Auburn

While dominating on the gridiron, Jackson also lettered in baseball and track. Jackson’s baseball prowess was demonstrated by a batting average of .401 during his junior season and a career average of .335. 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.

Track and Field Achievements

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 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) in the high jump, 7.52 m (24 ft 8 in) in the long jump and 14.85 m (48 ft 9 in) in the triple jump. 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.

Transition to Professional Sports

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.

Professional Baseball Career

Kansas City Royals

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. 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 448-foot (137 m) 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 (the first was Willie Mays). 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. During the 1990 season, Jackson hit HRs in four consecutive at-bats, tying a Major League record (held by several).

Chicago White Sox

Only 16 days after Jackson was released by the Royals, the Chicago White Sox offered him a three-year deal, guaranteeing $700,000 per season with a performance-based upside of $8.15 million over the term. White Sox co-owner Jerry Reinsdorf stated they did not anticipate him to play all seasons while he addressed his hip issues and avascular necrosis. He appeared on White Sox' disabled roster during the 1992 season due to completing hip replacement surgery earlier that year. He would become the first athlete in professional sports history to compete with an artificial hip. While with the White Sox, Jackson promised his mother that once he returned from his hip replacement surgery in 1993, he would hit a home run for her. Before he could return, his mother died. In his first at-bat after surgery, he hit a home run to right field.

California Angels

On January 31, 1994, Jackson signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the California Angels. He played in 75 games, batting .279 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI before the season was cut short by the 1994-95 baseball strike. After the season, Jackson decided to retire at age 32. In his eight baseball seasons, Jackson had a career batting average of .250, hit 141 home runs and had 415 RBI, with a slugging percentage of .474. His best year was 1989, with his effort earning him All-Star status.

Professional Football Career

Draft and Initial Reluctance

A month before the 1986 NFL draft, Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner and Alabama alum Hugh Culverhouse took him on a private jet to visit with the team and get a physical during his senior baseball season. Jackson was told by the Buccaneers that the trip had been cleared by the NCAA and SEC. In truth, it had not, and because the SEC barred athletes from being professional in one sport and amateur in another, he was declared ineligible near the tail end of his senior baseball season. Years later, Jackson told ESPN that he has long believed the Buccaneers sabotaged his collegiate baseball career "because of the season I was having". He was so angry at the Buccaneers' actions that he vowed never to play a down for them, going as far as to tell Culverhouse, "You draft me if you want. You're going to waste a draft pick. Jackson's collegiate baseball coach, Hal Baird, told the Tampa Bay Times that no one from either camp mentioned the trip to him, and feared the worst when Jackson told him that the trip had been paid for. Baird maintained that had he known about the trip, he would have told Jackson about the SEC rule that barred him from playing professional football while being an amateur in baseball. Despite this, the Buccaneers selected Jackson with the first overall pick in the 1986 draft. Jackson turned down the Buccaneers' $7.6 million, five-year contract in favor of a $1.07 million, three-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, and the Buccaneers forfeited his rights before the 1987 draft.

Read also: JAX Summer Student Program Guide

Los Angeles Raiders

Choosing to sleep in rather than attend the 1987 NFL draft, Jackson found out that he was selected in the seventh round (183rd overall) by the Los Angeles Raiders. Initially, Jackson stated he would continue to focus on baseball and would not sign, but his interest was piqued when he learned Raiders owner Al Davis was a fan of Jackson and receptive to Jackson playing both baseball and football. A five-year, $7.4 million contract was negotiated where Jackson would be permitted to play the entire baseball season with the Royals and would report to the Raiders once the MLB season was finished even if it meant missing NFL games. Jackson joined the Raiders in time for their Week 8 matchup against the New England Patriots, where he rushed for a total of 37 yards on eight carries. Jackson shared the backfield with Marcus Allen, himself an All-Pro and former Heisman Trophy winner, but eventually supplanted him as the featured running back despite being listed as the team's fullback. Perhaps his most notable performance in his rookie season came on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. Prior to the game Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth insulted Jackson and promised in a media event before the game to contain Jackson. Jackson responded by running over Bosworth on his way to a touchdown near the goal line. He also made a 91-yard run in the second quarter, to the outside, untouched down the sideline. Jackson rushed for 221 yards that night and two touchdowns. He added a third with a reception. In his rookie season, Jackson rushed for a total of 554 yards on only 81 carries for a 6.8 yards per carry average. He played in seven games, starting five, and scored a total of six touchdowns (four rushing, two receiving). Jackson's 1989 season was his best in the league. In eleven games, with nine starts, Jackson rushed for a total of 950 yards with a 5.5 yards per carry average and four touchdowns. In his four seasons in the NFL, Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns with an average yards per carry of 5.4. He also caught 40 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns.

Career-Ending Injury

Jackson's athletic career was affected by an injury to his left hip. In his last football game, a playoff victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in January 1991, Jackson suffered a dislocated hip following a tackle. In the film You Don't Know Bo, Jackson claimed that when he realized his injury on the field, he popped his hip back into the socket, which damaged the blood vessels supplying blood to the hip. While doctors did not find proof that Jackson reset his hip, they did discover that there was a fracture of one of Jackson's hip bones, as well as traumatic chondrolysis (the loss of the thin layer of cartilage that lines the ball-and-socket hip joint) and avascular necrosis (death of bone tissue) of the femoral head. He would be…

tags: #bo #jackson #college #stats