‘The brink of being a God’ – I was more powerful than Saquon Barkley and a two-sport legend before Deion Sanders
Tom Brady is the GOAT of the NFL. Michael Jordan and LeBron James are still battling for that 1-of-1 NBA title. Bo Jackson was ahead of his time and hasn’t been matched [email protected] But the greatest American sports athlete of all time? In 2024, Bo Jackson is still a strong contender for that crown. He was Saquon Barkley before Quadzilla became an NFL MVP favorite with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson was also more powerful at football and baseball than Deion Sanders, while preceding Coach Prime as a two-sport MLB and NFL star by several years. Thirty years after his final baseball game for the California Angels on August 10, 1994, Jackson has become underrated and overlooked. He once rivaled Air Jordan as Nike‘s biggest sports promotional star. He broke bats over his knee, ran up outfield walls, blasted tape-measure home runs — and that was just in baseball. Jackson, who is now 62, won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn, then outran the entire Seattle Seahawks defense on a 91-yard touchdown gallop that didn’t end until the 6ft 1in and 227lb superstar sprinted into a tunnel. “There goes Bo, and nobody catches Bo,” an announcer said in 1987. While Gatorade had young basketball players dreaming of being just like Jordan, and Nike told everyone that shoes were what made His Royal Airness truly elite, a brilliant “Bo Knows” campaign played upon Jackson’s awesome multi-sport talent. [email protected] was talented across the board and Nike turned him into a media sensation[/caption] x@nflHe left an entire NFL defense in the dust[/caption] x@espnBo knew how to break bats[/caption] His highlights, which arrived before the internet, had to be seen on TV to truly be believed. After growing up as the eighth of 10 children in Bessemer, Alabama — and being so wild as a child that he was compared to a wild hog — Jackson exceled at the decathlon, high jump and triple jump. The legends about Jackson’s athletic prowess became hard to keep up with and even more difficult to prove as the 1980s became the ’90s. But they were all believable, since the NFL running back and MLB outfielder appeared unstoppable once in motion. Sanders hitting a home run and scoring a touchdown in the same week pales when compared to Jackson being the only athlete in United States history named to All-Star teams in two major sports. “(Jackson) had reached the brink of being a god,” was written in Bo Knows Bo. Throw in Jackson being absolutely unstoppable in Nintendo at Tecmo Bowl, and the sports life of a man who once shot “a 300-pound bear from point-blank range with a .45-caliber pistol” now appears to be more myth than reality. “No defender in the history of the league would have stopped a monster like Bo Jackson,” one fan commented. “Could have been the greatest RB of all time,” a second fan wrote. “I’m not saying he is Spiderman,” a third fan said. “I’m just saying no one has seen Bo and Spiderman in the same place together.” For all of his superhero-like talent and old-school work ethic, Jackson was also human. An injury to his left hip during a playoff victory over the Cincinnati Bengals led to hip replacement and eventual retirement. Jackson’s super-bright sports star burnt out early. With the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987-90, he averaged a whopping 5.4 yards per carry while running for 2,782 total yards and 16 TDs. He made the 1990 Pro Bowl squad and led the NFL in three years in longest runs (91, 92 and 88 yards). In baseball, Jackson played from 1986-94 with Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox and Angels. He batted .250 overall with 141 home runs and 82 stolen bases, and was named the 1989 All-Star Game MVP. “God has his way of opening up our eyes to see reality,” Jackson said. x@baseballinpixThis poster was everywhere in the 1990s[/caption] x@espnJackson was so fast and strong he could run up and across a wall[/caption] “The way he opened my eyes is to allow me to have this hip injury. “That is a rough way to go, but I had to accept the fact.” YouTube has helped spread Jackson’s power, speed and athletic creativity to new generations of fans. “Bo Jackson vs. Brian Bosworth,” “Bo scales the wall in Baltimore” and “Bo BREAKS bat over helmet,” highlight Jackson at his pre-social media viral peak. “He and Bosworth one-on-one, and Jackson just shoves him into the end zone,” an announcer said. On the internet, the sports freak who almost became a god still hasn’t stopped running. talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and you can stay up to date with all the latest from around the league via our dedicated ‘EndZone’ YouTube channel.
Tom Brady is the GOAT of the NFL.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are still battling for that 1-of-1 NBA title.
But the greatest American sports athlete of all time?
In 2024, Bo Jackson is still a strong contender for that crown.
He was Saquon Barkley before Quadzilla became an NFL MVP favorite with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson was also more powerful at football and baseball than Deion Sanders, while preceding Coach Prime as a two-sport MLB and NFL star by several years.
Thirty years after his final baseball game for the California Angels on August 10, 1994, Jackson has become underrated and overlooked.
He once rivaled Air Jordan as Nike‘s biggest sports promotional star.
He broke bats over his knee, ran up outfield walls, blasted tape-measure home runs — and that was just in baseball.
Jackson, who is now 62, won the Heisman Trophy at Auburn, then outran the entire Seattle Seahawks defense on a 91-yard touchdown gallop that didn’t end until the 6ft 1in and 227lb superstar sprinted into a tunnel.
“There goes Bo, and nobody catches Bo,” an announcer said in 1987.
While Gatorade had young basketball players dreaming of being just like Jordan, and Nike told everyone that shoes were what made His Royal Airness truly elite, a brilliant “Bo Knows” campaign played upon Jackson’s awesome multi-sport talent.
His highlights, which arrived before the internet, had to be seen on TV to truly be believed.
After growing up as the eighth of 10 children in Bessemer, Alabama — and being so wild as a child that he was compared to a wild hog — Jackson exceled at the decathlon, high jump and triple jump.
The legends about Jackson’s athletic prowess became hard to keep up with and even more difficult to prove as the 1980s became the ’90s.
But they were all believable, since the NFL running back and MLB outfielder appeared unstoppable once in motion.
Sanders hitting a home run and scoring a touchdown in the same week pales when compared to Jackson being the only athlete in United States history named to All-Star teams in two major sports.
“(Jackson) had reached the brink of being a god,” was written in Bo Knows Bo.
Throw in Jackson being absolutely unstoppable in Nintendo at Tecmo Bowl, and the sports life of a man who once shot “a 300-pound bear from point-blank range with a .45-caliber pistol” now appears to be more myth than reality.
“No defender in the history of the league would have stopped a monster like Bo Jackson,” one fan commented.
“Could have been the greatest RB of all time,” a second fan wrote.
“I’m not saying he is Spiderman,” a third fan said. “I’m just saying no one has seen Bo and Spiderman in the same place together.”
For all of his superhero-like talent and old-school work ethic, Jackson was also human.
An injury to his left hip during a playoff victory over the Cincinnati Bengals led to hip replacement and eventual retirement.
Jackson’s super-bright sports star burnt out early.
With the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987-90, he averaged a whopping 5.4 yards per carry while running for 2,782 total yards and 16 TDs.
He made the 1990 Pro Bowl squad and led the NFL in three years in longest runs (91, 92 and 88 yards).
In baseball, Jackson played from 1986-94 with Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox and Angels.
He batted .250 overall with 141 home runs and 82 stolen bases, and was named the 1989 All-Star Game MVP.
“God has his way of opening up our eyes to see reality,” Jackson said.
“The way he opened my eyes is to allow me to have this hip injury.
“That is a rough way to go, but I had to accept the fact.”
YouTube has helped spread Jackson’s power, speed and athletic creativity to new generations of fans.
“Bo Jackson vs. Brian Bosworth,” “Bo scales the wall in Baltimore” and “Bo BREAKS bat over helmet,” highlight Jackson at his pre-social media viral peak.
“He and Bosworth one-on-one, and Jackson just shoves him into the end zone,” an announcer said.
On the internet, the sports freak who almost became a god still hasn’t stopped running.
talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and you can stay up to date with all the latest from around the league via our dedicated ‘EndZone’ YouTube channel.
