Interview with Bo Jackson
The NSCA recently had the honor of conducting a phone interview with one of the most gifted athletes of the 20th century—Bo Jackson. Jackson, one of America’s first athletes to master two professional sports (football and baseball), spoke with us about how he got started in athletics as a kid and how strength and conditioning continues to play a part in his life now.
Q. When did you first realize you were destined to be a professional athlete?
A. First of all, I really never imagined myself being a professional athlete. Growing up as a kid, the back of my house faced a little community airport about four or five miles from my house. I would sit out and watch the planes land and take-off. I always wanted to be a pilot. Whenever I wasn’t watching the planes, I was playing community baseball, football, or something like that. I’ve always played with kids that were five, six, seven years older than me. By doing that and being very competitive, the grown-ups started telling me even back before I started playing organized ball that I was too physical and too advanced for the kids my own age. So, when I was supposed to be playing little league ball, I was playing pony league, and when I was supposed to be playing pony league, I was playing with the men’s semi-pro.
It occurred to me in my junior year of high school. I got my first letter from a big college. I still have that letter to this day—a letter from Indiana.
Q. Did recruiters actively recruit you more for football or baseball?
A. Actually, I think they were about the same because I lettered in all sports, and I was a two-time state decathlon champion. As a 9th grader, I competed with the high school kids and out of 600 people, I finished 10th. My sophomore year I placed 2nd, and my junior and senior year—I got smart and piled up enough points between myself and second place where I didn’t have to run the mile. So, I got a lot of recruitment letters from track. In baseball, I was a pitcher, which I hated because there was no action there. I was a pitcher, shortstop and outfielder, and the Yankees tried to sign me out of high school as a first-round draft pick in 1981. I turned them down to go to college.
Q. Where’s your hometown?
A. Bessemer, Alabama—right outside of Birmingham.
Q. Did you pick Auburn to play in front of hometown friends and family?
A. Being the 8th out of 10 kids, and being the one that stayed in trouble, I sort of became a momma’s boy. I wanted to stay close enough so mom could see me play—where I could go home if I needed to. I was always an Alabama fan growing up, but when the Alabama recruiter told me I would probably not be able to play until the end of my sophomore year, or the beginning of my junior year. I said to him in a not so polite way—screw you.
Q. Did you stay three or four years at Auburn?
A. I went all four years.
Q. Did you start all four?
A. Well, I didn’t start the first game of the session. I came in the second quarter and I was the starter ever since. The first game was against Wake Forrest—I’ll never forget that game.
Q. You’ve played both football and baseball professionally. In your opinion, which is harder to train for and why?
A. Really, it’s not harder to train for them because once baseball starts you play everyday almost. So you have to be more mentally focused in baseball. With football, you practice. You practice Monday through Friday in college, or Monday through Saturday in the pro’s—and then you just go out and knock somebody’s head off. So, baseball is probably more physical of the two mentally. Once I step on the field—being baseball or football, I prepared myself mentally in the locker room prior to the game and once I step on the field, I’m the meanest S.O.B. on the planet. It’s all about the attitude, gut, heart and determination to go out and give 120% every time to try and help the team win.
Q. In football, who do you think your toughest competitor was as far as another team? Was there one person who always gave you fits?
A. There was nobody like that. I hate to blow my own horn, but I gave a lot of people fits.
Q. Do you ever miss the games, practices, the things associated with professional sports?
A. No, not at all. I am a fan. I have been a fan all my life, but now I have been out of football for over 10 years, and out of baseball for a little over six years and I don’t go to games. I don’t watch it on TV. I just don’t. It would be like you going home and turning the TV on and watching what you do for a living. You just don’t do it. If I miss anything about the sport, it’s the camaraderie of old teammates.
Q. Do you watch NASCAR?
A. Yes, I watch NASCAR.
Q. Who is your favorite driver?
A. My favorite driver is always either the bad guy or the underdog. I think everyone would love to see Jeff Gordon lose or get run into the wall, but I think he uses that—similar to me. When I was a kid, everybody in the neighborhood picked me to be the one in jail or be in the cemetery by the time I was 20. So, I used that as fuel for my fire. I guarantee you that’s what Jeff Gordon does. He uses everything the fans throw at him to stoke his fire and it drives him to be better at what he does.
Q. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement—sports or otherwise?
A. I would say my greatest achievement in life right now—my greatest achievement period is—and I’m still trying to achieve it—is to be a wonderful father to my kids.
Q. How many kids do you have?
A. I have three—two boys and a girl. Actually this weekend I have to buy my girl track shoes—following in her dad’s footsteps.
Q. Nutrition has become a major issue concerning athletes today. How has that field changed since you were a professional athlete?
A. Well, back when I was training, probably the only nutritious thing on the market was Gatorade—that’s all that we knew. But now in this day and age, people are more prone to go out to try new things to enhance their performance on the field—to enhance their physical appearance. I am a firm believer in if you can’t get it the old fashioned way, you don’t need it. You have a lot of people on the run and really don’t have time to sit down and eat a balanced meal.
Q. Do you have any regrets? If you could do it all over again would you change anything?
A. I wouldn’t change a thing. The only thing I would change is during the summer—when I was working my summer job, if I was smart, I would have taken flying lessons at Auburn. Other than that, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.
Q. What kind of advice would you give to athletes just starting out in the High School/Collegiate levels?
A. I always do this because I’m on the National Speaking Tour. One thing that I do is tell high school/college students that you can be whatever you allow yourself to be. You shouldn’t limit yourself in any field. I also tell them that your education can take you way farther than a football, baseball, track, or basketball will—that’s just the bottom line. Somebody can take that away from you quicker than a blink of an eye, but your education—no one can ever take that away from you. I’m a firm believer in that. If you have four years to complete your college education, do it. Don’t sell yourself short because without that you can’t go far in life because after sports the only thing you know is sports and you can't do anything else with that.
Q. I’m sure our members will want to know—how did strength and conditioning play a part in your rehabilitation?
A. Let me put it to you plain and simple. I was the type of guy that used to get up in the morning and go out and just out run everybody on the field without stretching or warming up or anything. I was just God’s gift in that sense. I took a lot of things for granted—especially how I treated my body. I’m not saying I treated it bad, but I didn't stretch properly, because I didn’t need to. The way strength and conditioning has helped me now is that I make it a point to go to the gym everyday if I can. Back before I injured my hip, I thought going to the gym was for wimps. I was always active—I went from baseball to football. I didn’t have time to work out. My workout was running down fly balls, stealing a base, or running for my life on the football field. But now, I get up every morning and go to the gym because I don’t like waking up stiff or in pain and wondering if my hip is going to hurt me.
I have no problem with my hips—I can still do the things that I used to do. I can run, I’m just not the fastest person on the field anymore. I love going out and doing new things. I’ve taken up golf in the past five or six years, and most of the time there aren’t too many people out there that can drive a ball further than I can.
Q. Your past marketing endeavors are legendary. “Bo Knows” commercials were everywhere. What do you want people to know about Bo today?
A. The thing that I want people to know about me is that people would say I was a great athlete, but I want people to know that today I’m putting forth the effort in my business after sports and my private life after sports—I’m working just as hard and as diligently on doing that as I did out on the playing field playing sports.