Bo Jackson

Jackson is married to wife Linda, a clinical psychologist, and has three children – sons Garrett, Nicholas, and daughter Morgan. The family stays at their private home in Burr Ridge, Illinois, US.

He did a 300 mile charity bike ride in 2012 and created a campaign ‘Bo Bikes Bama’ to support victims of the tornado that badly damaged areas in Alabama. Now, it has become an annual tradition.

Vincent Edward Jackson was born November 30, 1962 and raised in Bessemer, Alabama. Eighth of ten children, he and his siblings were largely supported by his mother, Florence Jackson Bond, since his father, A.D. Adams, never wed Florence.

Jackson got the name ‘Bo’ from the ‘wild boar hog’ as he would constantly get into trouble. His life as a hoodlum was short-lived, when he got a track and football mentor in Dick Atchinson at ‘McAdory High School’ in McCalla, Alabama.

In 1982, he declined an offer from the ‘New York Yankees’ in the second round of the ‘Major League Baseball Draft’. He instead entered ‘Auburn University’, where he went on to excel in baseball, football and track.

Jackson was selected with the first overall pick of the ‘1986 NFL Draft’ by the ‘Tampa Bay Buccaneers’, but opted to play baseball for the ‘Kansas City Royals’. He also played football with the ‘Los Angeles Raiders’ beginning 1987.

1990 was by far the best year of his career in terms of performance. In football, he averaged a whopping 11.3 in Receiving and 5.6 in Rushing. In baseball, he averaged 0.272.

His football career was caught short in 1991 when he suffered a debilitating hip injury while playing for the Raiders. Later in the same year, the ‘Chicago White Sox’ picked him up from Kansas City Royals. In 1993, he helped them capture the American League West Championship. Deciding to dedicate more time to his family, he retired from baseball following the '94 season.

In 1994, at the time of retirement, he averaged a whopping 0.250 in baseball, having played for ‘Kansas City Royals’, ‘Chicago White Sox’ and ‘California City Angels’. In football, he ended up with a fantastic average of 8.8 in Receiving and 5.4 in Rushing, playing for the ‘Los Angeles Raiders’.

Through the 1990s, he dabbled in acting, having made several television guest appearances and appearing in small roles in a few films. In 1995, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Development at Auburn.

While at ‘Auburn University’, Jackson won the ‘Heisman Trophy’ in 1985. He earned the ‘Bert Bell Trophy’, the NFL's ‘Rookie of the Year Award’ in 1987. In 1989, he was voted the ‘American League All-Star’ and ‘All-Star Game's MVP’.

In 1990, Jackson was named among the ‘25 Most Intriguing People’ by ‘People’ magazine. In ‘92, he won the ‘Jim Thorpe Legacy Award’ and also the ‘Power to Overcome Award’ by Easter Seals.

During the late 80s and early 90s, he endorsed ‘Nike’ and was involved in a popular ad campaign ‘Bo Knows’. Called ‘the greatest athlete in video game history’, his digital counterpart was nicknamed as ‘Tecmo Bo’.

In 1993, he was named the ‘Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year’. In ’96, he was inducted into the ‘Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’ and into the ‘College Football Hall of Fame’ in ‘99. In March 2013, ESPN Sport Science named Jackson the ‘Greatest Athlete of All Time’.