George Brett: ‘I never saw anyone quite like Bo Jackson’

Bo Jackson returned to where he “became a man in the sports world” on Saturday for his induction into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chose the Auburn running back with the No. 1 pick in the 1986 NFL Draft, the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner stunned the sports world. Instead of signing with the Bucs to start his NFL career, Jackson signed with Kansas City after the Major League Baseball team selected him in the fourth round of the 1986 First-Year Player Draft.

On Saturday, Jackson thanked the Royals for believing in him enough “to ask if I was serious about playing baseball.”

Jackson entered the Royals Hall of Fame in a ceremony before Kansas City’s American League game against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday.

“I was privileged to play two decades in Kansas City, and in that time, I saw so many memorable players,” said George Brett, the National Baseball Hall of Fame third baseman who presented Jackson for induction on Saturday, “all these guys here and some that couldn’t be here today. But without hesitation I never saw anyone quite like Bo, and I doubt I ever will again. He is the greatest athlete I have ever seen. He is and remains a cultural icon.”

After 53 games with the Memphis Chicks of the Double-A Southern League, Jackson made his Major League debut with the Royals on Sept. 2, 1986.

“Learning on the job for me was easy because I didn’t have to do anything but watch and observe George Brett, Willie Wilson, Frank White, Steve Balboni, Jamie Quirk and all the pitchers, Dan Quisenberry,” Jackson said. “When I came here, I already knew how to run, throw and catch. I just had to carry myself like a big leaguer, and I had some of the greatest teachers in the game.”

Jackson played in five seasons with the Royals. In 1989, the outfielder batted leadoff for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game and homered to start the bottom of the first. Later in the contest, Jackson became the first player to hit a home run and steal a base in the same All-Star Game.

The former McAdory High School star finished the 1989 season with 32 home runs and 105 runs batted in.

“Thank you, Kansas City,” Jackson said during his induction remarks. “I wouldn’t be me without you.”

Jackson did eventually return to football and played in four seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders after his baseball campaign had ended for the year.

A hip injury sustained in a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 13, 1991, ended Jackson’s football career and curtailed his baseball career. He played 183 games in three more MLB seasons – two with the Chicago White Sox and one with the California Angels – after the injury.

“In my opinion, Bo is one of the most important and impactful players in Royals history,” former Royals general manager John Schuerholz said during Saturday’s ceremony. “Fans had come to the ballpark, more often than not, just to see Bo do some things that they had never seen before. He put the Royals in the national spotlight – unique, exciting Bo Jackson.”

Jackson eventually returned to football and played in four seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders after his baseball season had ended.

A hip injury sustained in an NFL playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 13, 1991, ended Jackson’s football career and curtailed his baseball career. He played 183 games in three more MLB seasons – two with the Chicago White Sox and one with the California Angels – after the injury.

Jackson became 30th member of the Royals Hall of Fame, which includes Mobile native and former Williamson High School standout Amos Otis.

Bo Jackson speaks during his induction into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.(AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)