Whatever happened to Bo Jackson?

RobMM77 · March 11, 2007 9:14AM

Hey I remember in High School I followed Bo Jackson and lost touch when He got out of sports. Can anyone tell me what he is doing these days? Any links on this............just curious..........Rob

alifaxwa2 · March 11, 2007 9:17AM

He has done a tiny bit of acting (not so much recently) and is getting into the food business.
http://www.ngenuity.net/

He is doing a signing next weekend. I am getting him on a baseball and the b/w football/baseball pic.

lostdart58 · March 11, 2007 9:18AM

Didn't he do a Pros vs Joes episode on SpikeTV last year?

lawnmowerman · March 11, 2007 9:26AM

I dont know if he is still doing it, but he was doing some type of motivational speaking for young kids.

envoy98 · March 11, 2007 9:32AM

<< Didn't he do a Pros vs Joes episode on SpikeTV last year? >>

Yes he did.

julen23 · March 11, 2007 9:40AM

he got fat and fishes a lot.

julen

ps: but he was a BAAAAD man once upon a time

Jdurg · March 11, 2007 9:51AM

God I remember how his '86 Topps Traded Rookie card was insanely expensive during his hey-day. That was when the whole set was crazy expensive. Jose Canseco, Will Clark, Bo Jackson, Barry Bonds, the four of them made that set insanely expensive to acquire. Then that fateful day against the Bengals when Bo's career, in both sports, flat out died.

I remember not watching football much, or caring about it for that matter, until Bo came around. Then I joined the Raiders' bandwagon and haven't left. The first game I ever watched I remember seeing Bo running down the sidelines, getting tackled and not getting up. Everybody else jumped off the bandwagon but I stayed on through all the horrific years. That one play still is stuck in my head.

Lothar52 · March 11, 2007 9:57AM

<< God I remember how his '86 Topps Traded Rookie card was insanely expensive during his hey-day. That was when the whole set was crazy expensive. Jose Canseco, Will Clark, Bo Jackson, Barry Bonds, the four of them made that set insanely expensive to acquire. Then that fateful day against the Bengals when Bo's career, in both sports, flat out died.

I remember not watching football much, or caring about it for that matter, until Bo came around. Then I joined the Raiders' bandwagon and haven't left. The first game I ever watched I remember seeing Bo running down the sidelines, getting tackled and not getting up. Everybody else jumped off the bandwagon but I stayed on through all the horrific years. That one play still is stuck in my head.

>>

I rememeber it too..where was everyone else the day a sure-fire HOF'er in 2 sports died???

Loth

stown · March 11, 2007 10:02AM

<< I dont know if he is still doing it, but he was doing some type of motivational speaking for young kids. >>

Yes he is.

Wikipedia Link

He was a good guy. Brash but still humble.

I'll never forget that game against CIN... Seemed like a routine tackle...

Unfortunately, as years go by, he will be known as a coulda kind of player.

In my eyes, for the overall abilities, he was the best of the best prior to the injury.

Jdurg · March 11, 2007 10:07AM

There have been many two-sport players before, and after Bo Jackson, but Bo really defined a two-sport Superstar. In both Football and Baseball he was a potential HOFer. On the gridiron he was insanely quick and agile, and on the baseball diamond he had speed, power, range, he could hit for average and he could also gun you out with a throw. It was really sad seeing his careers go down the tubes thanks to a little ol' hip injury.

cjb1977 · March 11, 2007 10:23AM

Bo has pretty much faded into private life; especially for a guy who was as famous as he was.

He has some sports marketing company of some kind among some lower profiled endeavors.

He is currently living in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Skinpinch · March 11, 2007 10:34AM

He did a pro vs. joe last year, and he was awful and out of shape. It was sad watching him throw from short left field and not being able to throw out a Joe at home plate. His arm was absolutely brutal. This was the same guy who was immortalized for throwing a laser beam from LF, and now he has an 80yr old man arm. Sad.

The best thing about Pro vs. Joe was watching that jerk Bill Romanowski get schooled by the Joe's. Romo was off of steroids, and he was just an average guy now. He was _ocky as heck in the show too. Glad to see guys like that get embarrassed on T.V. by average Joe's.

Volver · March 11, 2007 10:38AM

He was a one-man wrecking crew on Tecmo Bowl

andywtn · March 11, 2007 11:07AM

Bo will be at this years national.

RobMM77 · March 11, 2007 12:08PM

Sweet, great posts. I remember the game as well and he rocked! Just wanted to see what he was up to. I still wonder what would have happend if he would have concentrated on one sport. He would have soared!!!!!!! My opinion of course but I think his numbers back it............

pandrews · March 11, 2007 12:09PM

Bo Knows.

Jdurg · March 11, 2007 12:10PM

<< Sweet, great posts. I remember the game as well and he rocked! Just wanted to see what he was up to. I still wonder what would have happend if he would have concentrated on one sport. He would have soared!!!!!!! My opinion of course but I think his numbers back it............ >>

Regardless of whether he focused on one sport or not, he would have been a HOFer in both. He was simply amazing in terms of raw talent.

RobMM77 · March 11, 2007 10:55PM

I agree with that. I still remember the Long Shot he made at Royals Stadium. It was sad to see him the day he got the career ending injury by a Cincy Defender that he had ran over times before.

andywtn · March 11, 2007 11:56PM

I believe there was rumor for a time (before the injury) that he was going to try to make the decathalon in the olympics. I also understand that he is a great golfer and is/was intrested in joining PGA tour.

markj111 · March 12, 2007 12:41AM

I am a big Bo Jackson fan. I have been an Auburn fan all my life, and I know his high school coach. That said, there is no way Bo was ever going to make it to the baseball HOF. Look at his numbers before he got hurt. He was a magnificent physical specimen, and great fun to watch, but he was not a great baseball player. I will leave it to others more qualified than I am to discss his potential for the football HOF.

His on-base % was above .300 in two of the five years before he was hurt. For his career it was .309. Strangely his OBP after he was hurt was about the same as it was before.

RedHeart54 · March 12, 2007 12:48AM

<< God I remember how his '86 Topps Traded Rookie card was insanely expensive during his hey-day. That was when the whole set was crazy expensive. Jose Canseco, Will Clark, Bo Jackson, Barry Bonds, the four of them made that set insanely expensive to acquire. >>

Yes, but the 1986 Donruss Rookies was as, if not more, expensive and probably twice as hard to find. I had never even seen the Will Clark until I finally got the set.

Bighurt4 · March 12, 2007 3:09AM

My freshman year at Auburn was Bo's Heisman season. The guy was unbelievable. The Buccaneers are my favorite Pro team, but the owner got him disqualified from his senior baseball season with a NCAA violation. I believe it was a plane trip to Tampa. That is the main reason Bo decided to play baseball. Otherwise, he would have been the greatest Buccaneer ever, and a one sport star. In any event, I will always have fond memories of that '85 Auburn season and the highlight reel that was his pro career.

Brent

drewsef · March 12, 2007 3:18AM

Bo was an incredible athlete. However, with that said, how did two Auburn fans figure out how to get here?

ROLL TIDE

Bighurt4 · March 12, 2007 3:23AM

Bo was an incredible athlete. However, with that said, how did two Auburn fans figure out how to get here? ROLL TIDE

Methane powered computers, got to use all of those cows for something.

War Eagle!
Brent

gregmo32 · March 12, 2007 5:09AM

I sometimes say that Bo Jackson was the best running back I have ever seen - albeit briefly.

In baseball he was an exciting player who always seemed to not know the game very well. He may have developed as his career ran on, but he showed flashes of brilliance. I wouldn't call him a great baseball player.

2dueces · March 12, 2007 6:52AM

Might have been one of the greatest all around athlete's ever. I saw him do some incredable things in all sports. Hit a HR to dead center in KC. Throw out a runner flat foot from the right field wall at home. Break long runs and bowl over LB's. Great all around athlete. If it wasn't for that career ending tackle that ruined his hip we may still be talking about him. Joe

Darin · March 12, 2007 7:12AM

gregmo is right on. Bo was a great football player, but in baseball he was always striking out in critical situations. Sure, because he was a great athlete he showed flashes of brilliance, but he had a hole in his swing you could throw a beachball through.

CDsNuts · March 12, 2007 7:39AM

Guys, we're failing to realize Bo's greatest accomplishment- Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl is the most dominating videogame athlete of all time hands down, followed by Jeremy Roenick NHLPA 95(?), Barry Sanders Tecmo SuperBowl, Tom Chambers Lakers vs. Celtics, and QB Eagles (Randall Cunningham) in Tecmo Bowl.

Lee

HoofHearted · March 12, 2007 7:52AM

Thanks for the updates. I was curious too after posting this pic in a previous thread:

I wasn't watching TV, I guess, when the Tecmo thing was goin' on. I'll have to google that and see what it was about...

Barfvader · March 12, 2007 11:16AM

Here's some of my Bo collection.

Common stuff.

Star Co Plus Misc

Some Unlicensed Sets And Singles + Classic,Topps UK and Stickers

1988 Topps Football Rack Pack

Jeff

Jdurg · March 12, 2007 11:32PM

Wow, did Donruss ever take their own pictures, or did they just copy what every other company had already done?

Anyway, yes, in Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson just ripped apart everybody. The Raiders were nearly unbeatable since nobody could tackle Bo and he was fast as all hell. I remember getting into fights with friends over who got to be the Raiders, so we eventually made a rule that you could not pick the Raiders when we played.

cheeks · March 15, 2007 4:48PM

Just renenber, Bo from Home plate to 1base 3.7 seconds
Mickey Mantle from home to first 3.1 seconds. nuff said!!

dontippet · March 15, 2007 5:56PM

I remember in 1986, studying his '86TT card and his '86 Donruss Rookies card and trying to figure out if the same photograph is used. I even remember asking my mom for her opinion too. Studying them again 20 years later, I still can't come to a definite conclusion.

70chip · March 15, 2007 8:41PM

Frank: It's the same old story. Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.
Jane Spencer: Goodyear?
Frank: No, the worst.

gregmo32 · March 16, 2007 12:47AM

We also banned the use of the Raiders from any serious Techmo Bowl competetion.

Very side note, but...
Before Techmo Bowl kept track of the stats of the games for you, I actually had a friend who would tape his games against the computer, and go back and watch the games to compile stats for Bo Jackson.

Sad but true.

Goodsport40 · March 16, 2007 3:55AM

Classic!

Robert

jeffcbay · March 16, 2007 4:03AM

Ahhhh yes... the memories...

bigjed · March 17, 2007 11:22AM

<< Just renenber, Bo from Home plate to 1base 3.7 seconds
Mickey Mantle from home to first 3.1 seconds. nuff said!!

>>

Where did you get that piece of info from? I don't believe that for a second. Bo was a sprinter in track.

SoonerCowboy · March 17, 2007 12:21PM

I saw him about 4 years ago at the OKC National Memorial. I used to work there. I was walking by him and stopped suddenly and looked while pointing at him and said "Bo Jackson?" He shook his head yes and put his finger up to his mouth like he didn't want anyone to hear me.

alifaxwa2 · March 17, 2007 12:28PM

Met him today at a signing in Virginia. Nice guy.

Barfvader · March 27, 2007 3:41AM

Was looking for some other cards and found a few more unlicensed ones of Bo.

Only thing on the backs are Bo Knows Jordan, Bart and Gretzky.

qmayer · March 27, 2007 4:35AM

<< If it wasn't for that career ending tackle that ruined his hip we may still be talking about him. >>

What makes it sad is that the exact same injury that ended Bo's career happened to Priest Holmes 2 or 3 years ago. Holmes had the surgery and played the next year, although he didn't do as well because he had about 300k miles on his odometer and had a guy named Larry Johnson waiting in the wings.

Justin

P.S. Hook 'em

kcballboy · March 27, 2007 5:22AM

Actually what's sad about that is the way that Priest is still putting on a front like he might play again and that the Cheifs front office acts like they believes him and continues to pay him to spend the last year and a half on the IR/PUP List.

jmbkb4 · March 27, 2007 5:28AM

I love Bo.

DaBigHurt · March 27, 2007 7:36AM

<< Actually what's sad about that is the way that Priest is still putting on a front like he might play again and that the Cheifs front office acts like they believes him and continues to pay him to spend the last year and a half on the IR/PUP List. >>

I think the front office of the Chiefs know that Priest won't ever be suiting up for them again, but instead of cutting him, are allowing him to retire on his own terms ala Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin, two running backs who helped elevate their respective franchises on and off the field.

In my opinion, Bo injuring his hip was one of the great sports tragedies of our time because we'll never know how truly great he might've been if he was a full-time baseball player. Barry and Bo broke into the majors around the same time and if Bo kept himself in good shape, who knows what sort of numbers he would've put up.

originalisbest · March 27, 2007 8:37AM

Sorry there, bigjed, but you'd better believe it: the Mick was THE fastest goin' to 1st base.

bigjed · March 27, 2007 11:19AM

<< Sorry there, bigjed, but you'd better believe it: the Mick was THE fastest goin' to 1st base. >>

PROVE IT! Until I see where you got your info your statement is nothing more than BS.

MeteoriteGuy · March 27, 2007 11:44AM

"Was looking for some other cards and found a few more unlicensed ones of Bo."

Those look like some of the many bootlet (non-licenced) cards that appeared on the market around the Bo era.

Mark

BobaFett72 · March 27, 2007 11:49AM

after much searcing..i found Bo!

Apparently Bo Knows Beef!

ArnyVee · March 27, 2007 11:57AM

<< Ahhhh yes... the memories... >>

WOW! Both that Bo run and the "Nigerian Nightmare" run are classics! That brought back so many memories.

Whatever happened to Bo Jackson?

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