Bo Jackson: What Could Have Been?

Family has always been the most important thing in the world to Bo Jackson. Many athletes say that, but the difference is that Bo means it. When asked about his greatest achievement in life, he responded not with the tale of a game—a winning home run or a long touchdown run. Instead, he answered, “I would say my greatest achievement in life right now—and I'm still trying to achieve it—is to be a wonderful father to my kids.”

Bo Jackson has one of the most unusual trophy cases of all time—MVP in the 1983 Sugar Bowl, MVP in the 1984 Liberty Bowl, Walter Camp Award in 1985, Heisman Trophy in 1985, All-Star Game MVP in 1989, Pro Bowl selection in 1990, Tony Conigliaro Award in 1993, AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1993, and Election to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

If there's one thing I could change about Bo Jackson's professional sports career, it would be for him to completely ignore professional baseball. He was a good baseball player who was overhyped because of his tendency to produce highlight reel moments.

I wish Bo Jackson would have focused on football and only on football. Football was his true calling.

Bo had more talent than maybe any player that ever lived. He might be the greatest combination of power and speed in NFL history.

He almost rushed for 1,000 yards on 172 carries. He averaged an insane 6.8 yards per carry as a rookie running back. There's no telling what he would have done if he had been a full-time starting running back.

I believe Bo Jackson would have been a Hall of Fame running back. I think that Bo might have been the greatest running back in NFL history. He would have recorded some of the most insane rushing totals of all time.

It wouldn't surprise me if Bo would have rushed for 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in a season. I think he would hold virtually every rushing record imaginable—yards in a season, touchdowns in a season, career rushing yards, career rushing touchdowns, and most rushing yards in a game. The list goes on and on.

The average career of a running back in the National Football League is four years.  Jackson played from 1987-1990. Exactly four years.

He might have been the single most athletic human being to ever walk the planet. There was nothing he couldn't do on a football field. Many consider him to be the greatest athlete who ever lived.

Yet, I remember him not for his accomplishments as a football player or a baseball player. Instead, I remember him in probably the most unfortunate way to remember someone—what could have been?

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