In A Full NFL Career, Would Bo Jackson Be Considered Best RB Ever?

[Journeyman]

That game was at Baltimore where he semi circled the wall after the running grab,lol...Also in that game Bo threw a runner out from the warning track and homered!

Another Bo memory;

4) The way he would snap the bat off his thigh like a freakin pretzel!

5) First atbat after hip replacement homering to rightfield for Chicago...

 

[TheAce]

and howie long said he was the most gifted athlete he had ever seen. big name ex-pros would show up early to watch him take batting practice.

3 things stick in my mind about him.

1) the straight away bomb he hit to start the all star game in 89 ( i think) maybe 90

2) knocking bozworth into the back of the end zone

3) climbing the wall in left field after making that running catch. ran right up the wall.

breaking a bat over his leg after striking out

ace

 

[Journeyman]

My top 6

Brown, Sayers, O.J., Campbell ,Sanders, Payton....no other back can replace any of these 6 guys

 

[Journeyman]

O.J. never was in the Olympics but did;

Lennox Miller,Earl McCullouch, Fred Kuller and O.J. Simpson-- won the 1967 NCAA title with a still-standing world record for 440 yards relay team

 

[jjgold]

Never saw a better body either in the history of sports, it was chisled out of stone

 

[docmercer--banned]

JJGold:

Best athlete ever period???

How quickly the name Jim Thorpe is forgotten:

The only American athlete is history to excel in three major sports both as an amateur and as a professional ... and is a member of 3 Hall of Fames: college / pro football & track and field

In the 1912 Olympic Games, he won both the pentathlon and decathlon events. In the same year, he led his Carlisle Indian School team to the national collegiate championship, scoring 25 touchdowns and 198 points.
His feats on the football field put him on the 1911 and 1912 All-American football teams. Following the college football season, Thorpe went on to play 6 years of Major League Baseball and finished the 1919 Boston Braves season with a .327 bating average. <!-- / message -->

Meanwhile, he managed to lead the Canton Bulldogs football team to unofficial world championships in 1916, 1917, and 1919

 

[jjgold]

Doc I use to hear that pro bowl linebackers wanted not part in contact with Bo in the open, they were scared to death of him crippling them.

Do you know he had the fastest clocked time down the 1st base line in the history of baseball too? He beat out hard ground balls to short.

He was unreal and we all got cheated

Good point about Thorpe though, I will give you that one

 

[docmercer--banned]

Ace:

The throw he made in Seattle from left field to get Harold Reynolds at the plate ...
The time Bo Jackson threw out a runner at the plate (Harold Reynolds) with a throw from the wall (the OLD wall, which was back even further from what they moved them to this year) that was on a line!

 

[VaultedTreehouse]

In Tecmo SuperBowl he is the greatest of all time and that's all that really matters isn't it?

 

[blueedwards]

In Tecmo SuperBowl he is the greatest of all time and that's all that really matters isn't it?

i remember that neal anderson was unstoppable on that game...

 

[VaultedTreehouse]

Jackson first though Blue.

 

[jjgold]

Bo Jackson, Running Back
Auburn, 1982-1985

Breathtaking. From his power to his athleticism to his blinding speed, Bo Jackson remains one of the great college football backs of all-time ... when he was healthy.

While everyone remembers his phenomenal performances in his Heisman Trophy winning season of 1985 and his winning efforts against Alabama, when splitting hairs in naming the greatest players of all-time, especially running backs, we had to view his whole career and injuries did play a big part.

We're not suggesting by any stretch that Jackson wasn't tough. On the contrary, Jackson played through injuries that that would've knocked out most mortal running backs. He only played six games in his junior season and was limited in two of Auburn's biggest games in 1985 cause of injuries suffering a bruised thigh in the second quarter against Florida in a 14-10 loss and a knee injury taking him out in the third quarter in a 38-20 loss to Tennessee. It might be harsh, but to get much higher than this in our countdown as a running back, you needed to have big performances in big games like these.

The athlete: Jackson's frightening athletic ability made him an all-everything performer in track and baseball qualifying for the NCAA's in the 60-yard dash in his freshman and sophomore years and batting .401 with 17 home runs and 43 RBIs in 1985 on the diamond. Jackson was drafted in the second round by the New York Yankees coming out of high school, but he chose to play football at Auburn instead. For his Auburn baseball career, Jackson had a .335 average with 28 home runs, 70 RBIs and 19 stolen bases in 89 games. Running track, he ran a 10.39 in the 100 meters and 6.19 in the 60-yard dash. That speed made him one of the fastest backs to ever play college football and at 6-1, 222 pounds, he was the total athlete.

Alabama: The Tigers were whipped by Alabama for years before Jackson came to Auburn. In his freshman year, Jackson scored the winning touchdown in a 23-22 thriller over the Tide to give Auburn its first win over Bama in ten years. He tore off 256 yards against the Tide in his sophomore year leading Auburn to a 23-20 victory with breathtaking runs of 69 and 71 yards. In a 17-15 loss to the Tide in his junior season, he ran for 118 yards and a touchdown. In 1985, Jackson closed out his regular season career with a 31 carry, 142 yard, two touchdown day over the Tide in a 25-23 loss.

Bo knows: Taken with the first pick in the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jackson spurned football temporarily for an All-Star baseball career with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and California Angels. For his eight year career, he hit .250 with 141 home runs and 415 RBIs. He also played a little football or as Bo called it, his hobby. With the Los Angeles Raiders, he averaged 5.4 yards per carry before being forced to retire from football with a hip injury.

When the spotlight was on, few professional performers produced like Jackson. In the 1989 All-Star game, he was the MVP after jacking a huge home run leading off for the American League. On his first Monday Night Football game, he ran for 221 yards against Seattle including his famous touchdown run blowing by, and later scoring by blowing through, Brian Bosworth.

Honors:

College Football Hall of Fame
Heisman Trophy - 1985
Walter Camp Player of the Year - 1985
All-American - 1983, 1985
All-SEC - 1983, 1985 (UPI and AP All-SEC in 1982)
Named to the Auburn Team of the Century
Baseball All-Star Game MVP - 1989
NFL Pro Bowl selection - 1990
Liberty Bowl MVP - 1984
Sugar Bowl MVP - 1983

 

[jjgold]

I beleive his 5.4 yards a carry is the highest among running backs

 

[rugby]

Best running back ever, also had a faster time from home plate to first base than mickey mantle.

 

[victorygallop]

That one monday night game where he broke 2 75+ yard td runs was the most dominate performance ever by a RB.

 

[WorldNumberOne]

breaking it over his thigh was nothing.

he used to hold the bat over his helmet and snap it in two on the way back to the dugout.

george brett said after seeing him do it " how do practice that ".

 

[Megacapper]

He was dominant. Its a shame we never got to see what he could have become.

Sanders was also awesome. Never saw Jim Brown but I hear he was something special too.

 

[HacheMan]

I agree with JJ, possibly the best athlete ever. Anyone ever see the sports~celebrity basketball game he played in? They had a dunk contest and he was easily the most impressive.........

 

[HacheMan]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=448 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD align=middle bgColor=#3c641e colSpan=7>[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jackson's Football Career by the Numbers [/font]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]Year [/font]</TD><TD width=80 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]Team [/font]</TD><TD width=40 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]G [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]Att [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]Yards [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]Avg [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]TDs [/font]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]1987 [/font]</TD><TD width=80 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]LA Raiders [/font]</TD><TD width=40 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]7 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]81 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]554 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]6.8 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]4 [/font]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]1988 [/font]</TD><TD width=80 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]LA Raiders [/font]</TD><TD width=40 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]10 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]136 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]580 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]4.3 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]3 [/font]</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]1989 [/font]</TD><TD width=80 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]LA Raiders [/font]</TD><TD width=40 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]11 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]173 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]950 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]5.5 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]4 [/font]</TD></TR>







<TR vAlign=top><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]1990 [/font]</TD><TD width=80 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]LA Raiders [/font]</TD><TD width=40 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]10 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]125 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]698 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]5.6 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ecece4>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]5 [/font]</TD></TR>





<TR vAlign=top><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]NFL [/font]</TD><TD width=80 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]Totals [/font]</TD><TD width=40 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]38 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]515 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]2,782 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]5.4 [/font]</TD><TD width=60 bgColor=#ffffff>[font=Arial,Helvetica, sans-serif]16 [/font]</TD></TR>



Part time play and splitting carries with Allen the few games he was playing really hurt Jackson's yardage.





</TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE TABLE (END)--------------------->



[font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Odds 'n' Ends[/font]








<LI>At McAdory High School in McCalla, Ala., Jackson set six state class records.









<LI>In Bo's first game for Auburn, the freshman rushed for 123 yards on only 10 carries in a 28-10 victory over Wake Forest in 1982.









<LI>At tradition-laden Auburn where football is king, Jackson still holds down top spots in several categories, including career rushing, scoring, most 100-yard rushing games and all-purpose yards for a season.









<LI>He is the only Auburn back to rush for more than 4,000 yards in a career.









<LI>Bo was timed in 4.12 seconds for 40 yards.









<LI>Bo said he followed baseball because of Reggie Jackson, whom he used to claim as a cousin.









<LI>Bo's baseball career at Auburn was ended prematurely, after 21 games in his senior year. He unknowingly violated Southeastern Conference rules and was declared ineligible for accepting a plane ride to Tampa from the Buccaneers, who gave him a physical.









<LI>Jackson never forgave the Bucs and refused to sign with them after they picked him No. 1 in the 1986 draft.









<LI>Excerpts from a Royals scouting report on Jackson reveal that from the beginning he was rated better than the major league average in arm strength, baserunning, range, speed and power.



<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5 rowSpan=2><SPACER height="1" width="5" type="block"></TD><TD width=195>

</TD></TR><TR><TD width=195>[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Jackson hit 141 career homers.[/font]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



<LI>Before his assignment to the minors, Bo turned heads in his first turn in the batting cage at Royals Stadium. One drive landed 462 feet away at the base of the scoreboard in centerfield and another almost plunked into the water fountain beyond right. Bo was using a borrowed bat.









<LI>He made his professional baseball debut as a member of the Royals' Class AA Memphis Chicks on June 30, 1986.









<LI>Jackson wore No. 16 for the Royals despite wearing No. 34 in football and No. 29 in baseball. He explained the number change by saying "because I want to leave Auburn at Auburn."









<LI>In 1989, he hit 32 homers and drove in 105 runs for Kansas City. He also led the league with 172 strikeouts in 515 at-bats.









<LI>Ten days after the 1989 baseball season ended, Jackson joined the Raiders and rushed for 950 yards in only 11 games.









<LI>After Bo saw the X-ray of his hip injury, he said, "I have dressed deer. I have witnessed the birth of two out of three of my children, and when I saw a black-and-white X-ray of my hip, I just got sick."









<LI>After his second hip replacement surgery, Jackson decided to save the first artificial hip. "I have it at home in a bag," he said.









<LI>In 1996, Jackson played a death row prison guard in the film "The Chamber" starring Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway and Chris O'Donnell.







<LI>On Dec. 8, 1998 Jackson was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.









<LI>Jackson enjoys archery and has a collection of bows that number close to two dozen.









<LI>Though he says he doesn't follow most sports, Jackson is a fan of the WNBA and watches outdoor shows.









<LI>Jackson splits time between Oak Brook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, and Phoenix with his wife, Linda, and their three children (sons Garrett and Nicholas and daughter Morgan).







In 2004, Green Bay's Ahman Green joined Jackson as the only players with two career touchdown runs of at least 90 yards

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=250>

</TD></TR><TR><TD width=250>[font=verdana, arial, geneva]Bo Jackson was practically unstoppable in Tecmo Bowl[/font]

LOL, were any of you guys Tecmo Bowl players??

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[CalRedwood]

Bo wasn't half the back that Marcus Allen was. Bo had stone hands and he couldn't cut at all. People only remenber the Bozworth run.