Bo Jackson Biography

Bo Jackson is an American former baseball and football player and the only sportsperson to be named an All-Star in two major sports. When he decided to play both professional baseball and football concurrently, he became the most recognized professional athlete to participate in more than one sport. All of America knew him simply by his first name, ‘Bo’, due to a hugely successful national advertising campaign with ‘Nike’, the ‘Bo Knows’ series. He played some amazing football for the ‘Los Angeles Raiders’ of the ‘National Football League’ (NFL) and an equally astounding baseball for the ‘Kansas City Royals’, the ‘Chicago White Sox’, and the ‘California Angels’ in the ‘Major League Baseball’ (MLB). A critical hip injury ended his football career mid-way; however he did manage to return to baseball until his retirement. Jackson's speed and power on both the baseball diamond and the football field were legendary; earning him awards and respect. "I never set out to be a Hall of Fame baseball player or Hall of Fame football player. I just loved to play. Period," said Bo Jackson on ESPN Classic's ‘Sports-Century’ series. Although his injury prevented him from fully realizing his athletic potential on the professional level, Jackson was nevertheless a cultural sensation who made a significant impact on the history of American sports.