Bo Jackson

Collage of Bo Jackson through the years (created in photoshop (Caleb Hopkins ))

Bo knows what it is like to be called one of the greatest athletes of all time. Vincent "Bo" Jackson had to overcome a lot as a child, he was the eighth of ten children that his mom took care of. His family was very poor, and not knowing his father very well did not help the cause. Jackson overcame poverty by working hard, excelling at multiple sports, and staying out of trouble. Born Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson on November 30, 1962, in Bessemer, Alabama. Jackson came to fame as a multi-talented athlete, who excelled in baseball, football and track at an early age. Recruited by the New York Yankees before he was out of high school, Jackson decided instead to attend Auburn University.

As a child and a teen-ager, Bo Jackson was a very strong, tough guy. He often used his size and strength for the wrong reasons and would bully other kids to get what he wanted. He would steal bicycles and other things just because someone else had them and he wanted them. There was not much other kids could do to stop him though because of his size. Bo Jackson would often and almost always be able to deal with kids that were years older than him. He got into a lot of fights and trouble came along with it. His mother would whip him with a belt and threaten him so he would stay out of trouble because she had seen all her other children do the same thing as Bo and she had seen where that road led. Even though Bo's mom did her best to keep him out of trouble, Bo was too hard headed and stubborn to ever listen. He would often do something that someone told him not to do just simply because they told him not to. He was constantly getting in trouble during grammar school and on into junior high school. He even almost killed someone two times. Both times someone had made him angry and he had a gun pointed at them but his conscience luckily got the better of him.

Jackson worked extremely hard to get to his current position in life. He practiced non stop it seemed like. In high school, college, and throughout the pros, Jackson worked to get better at baseball, football, and track. He was able to work hard and become a star at all three. It helped that Jackson loved to be around the games, as a kid he and other neighborhood kids would play "stickball", a form of baseball using a tree branch and a beat up tennis ball. As a teenager he would be working out or practicing constantly at his high school trying to get better.

Not only did Jackson work hard, he had great work ethic throughout his career. He was the kind of ballplayer who was the first one to the field, even before the coaches, and the last one to leave the field. Jackson was born with great athletic ability, but that can only go so far for an athlete. Jackson got the rest of his ability from his great work ethic. Every home run, and touchdown he got, and every track race he won was earned through his work and dedication toward the game. He was not the great athlete who could just show up and score two touchdowns or hit a homerun. Jackson's coaches saw how hard he worked and the greatness he possessed because of it, and they knew he could make it far in the sport because of his work ethic and pure strength and power as an athlete.

Bo also got married in college and had two children with his wife Linda. Their names are Spud and Nick. While Linda lived in Auburn with the kids, Bo was dealing with pro scouts for football and baseball. Everyone was asking if he was going to play football or baseball in the pros. The answer was both. Nobody had ever played both sports and been successful but Bo did it. He played for the Kansas City Royals and for the Los Angeles Raiders. He was successful in both and continued to defy all beliefs that he could not play both sports at such a high level.

Bo Jackson is a man that cares more for his family than anything in the world. He loves Linda and his kids more than anything. His sports mean nothing compared to his family. As much as he has done for sports, he has actually done more for his family. He is a very inspiring person because of what he got out of and what kind of person he became. And that is truly why Bo Jackson is my hero. He is a God fearing, family loving, sports oriented man, and I strive to be like him every day.