Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson was one of the greatest multi-sport athletes of all-time and a cultural icon who played for the Raiders between 1987 and 1990 while simultaneously playing Major League Baseball. With a chiseled frame and an Olympic sprinter’s speed, Jackson – a Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn who was selected first overall by the Bucs in the 1986 NFL Draft but initially decided to play baseball, his first love, instead – became particularly famous for his “Bo Knows” Nike advertising campaign. Posters of a ripped Jackson holding a baseball bat while wearing football pads decorated children’s bedrooms across America, and his likeness was also a dominating force in the popular Nintendo video game, Tecmo Bowl. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Jackson, who won the All-Star Game MVP with the Royals in 1989 and was a Pro Bowler with Oakland in 1990, called football his “hobby”. Jackson averaged 5.4 yards per carry over a four-year career that ended prematurely due to injury. His most memorable play was on Monday Night Football during his rookie year, when Jackson ran for a 91-yard TD and then continued down the locker room tunnel. Off the field, fans and reporters annoyed Jackson (“It’s hard to be Bo Jackson,” he once said.), who posted an “Absolutely No Autographs” sign on the door to his house. Throughout his career, though, Jackson – who in his youth was troubled and battled a stutter – visited ill, disabled, and abused children.