This is a very complex question. Not only is there the question of what would happen if he didn’t get hurt, but there’s also “what if he focused on football?” or “what if he focused on baseball?”. Let’s bounce it around a bit, see where it lands.
Bo Jackson was an athletic phenom that rose to stardom in the mid-to-late 1980’s. He was a college running back for the Auburn Tigers, winning the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 1985. He also excelled at baseball, and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the mid-80’s. He also played football for the Los Angeles Raiders from 87-91. By all accounts, Bo was a man amongst boys. He could either run over you or run around you. He’s broken baseball bats over his head and knees (try it, I dare you), he’s on the short list of people with 90-yard runs in the NFL, and he’s the only athlete to ever be voted to the NFL’s Pro Bowl AND the MLB All-Star game, which he won the MVP for in 1989.
Unfortunately, Bo was severely injured during an NFL playoff game in 1991, and never played football again. After successful hip-replacement surgery, he did return to play baseball briefly, even going so far as to hit a home run in his first at-bat following the procedure (he promised his dying mother he would do just that).
So what if Bo Jackson hadn’t gotten injured? Along with that, what if he hadn’t gotten injured AND focused on football? I bet his name would be up on the all-time rushing list somewhere. In his four partial seasons with the Raiders, he did things that are talked about to this day. He still holds the Monday Night Football record for rushing yards, a record he set less than a month after becoming a professional football player. He also is one of only a handful of players with multiple 90-yard touchdown runs. If he had been able to play a full football season, uninterrupted by baseball, for multiple seasons, the possibilities are endless.
On the flipside, what if he had remained healthy and focused on baseball? He was a rare combination of elite baserunning, power hitting and superior defense. As an outfielder, he once threw a runner out at home plate FROM THE WARNING TRACK, no cutoff man, no bounce. The next time you’re at a baseball game, try to grasp how far of a throw that is. Then factor in the precision in which the throw would have to be made to allow the catcher to tag the runner. Ridiculous.
His only season in which he played over 130 games was 1989. That year he hit 32 home runs and stole 26 bases. Project that over 162 games, and he could have hit 35-40 home runs a season, coupled with over 30 stolen bases. The number of players that have achieved a 30-30 season is not very long. As far as defense goes, many hits that would have been doubles in the alley would have been caught, and runners tagging would have been gunned down or wouldn’t have even tested Bo’s arm.
Bo’s legacy lives on in advertisements, video games, and most importantly the stories of his peers. Not often will All-Stars and Pro Bowlers gush over the physical abilities of another athlete, but legends still are amazed at his accomplishments, albeit cut short.
Bo Jackson the athlete was taken from us way too early, but his story is definitely one of the more intriguing “What if?” stories, alongside Terrell Davis, Gayle Sayers, and more.