The Untold Truth Of Bo Jackson – His Net Worth, Injury Stats and Family Details

Age/Date of Birth:
November 30, 1962
Height:
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Ethnicity/Race:
African American
Nationality:American
Wife or Girlfriend:Linda Jackson(m. 1987)
Parents:Father: A.D. Adams
Mother: Florence Bond
Net Worth:$16 million

Bo Jackson is a retired American professional baseball and football player. Regarded by many as the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) in his chosen sport, Bo is the only athlete to be named as an All-Star both in baseball (MLB) and football (NFL). Unfortunately, his ever-blossoming career was truncated by an injury to his left hip which culminated in his retirement in 1995.

Jackson earned at least $6.5 million from baseball and $7.4 million from football. After retirement, he continued banking from his endorsement deals and launched a career as an entrepreneur. Bo Jackson’s net worth is currently estimated at $16 million.

His Early Life

Bo was born Vincent Edward Jackson on November 30, 1962, in Bessemer, Alabama where he was also raised. In high school, he showed great athletic skills playing baseball, football and running the track. Bo became a decorated star in all of these sports leaving a trail of records as he progressed. His unmatched high school stats had him on the radar of professional sports franchises and immediately after he graduated from high school, he was selected by MLB’s New York Yankees in the 1982 draft. However, Bo declined the offer alongside its tempting 6-figure signing bonus and opted instead for college. He was bent on fulfilling his promise to his mom to become the first in the family to attend a major college.

On a football scholarship, Bo attended Auburn University, Alabama where he continued to stage impressive performances both in football and baseball, having pro franchises itching the more to get their fingers on him. In 1985 he was awarded the much-coveted Heisman Trophy. And when the final year of college came in 1986, Bo had to choose between the MLB and NFL.

Bo Jackson

He was selected #1 overall by NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1986 draft and by the MLB’s Kansas City Royals in the 1986 draft. However, before this time, Bo in his senior year received a plane trip offer from the Buccaneers to work out for the team which contrary to what they told him rendered him ineligible to play baseball in his final college year. Bo suspected the Bucs intentionally tried to sabotage his baseball career and as a result, he chose the Kansas City Royals’ $1 million 3 year deal, over the Buc’s $7 million 4-year deal.

Jackson who had put his education on hold to play pro sports returned in 1990 and graduated in 1995 with a degree in family and child development.

MLB Salary and Career Earnings

Jackson started out playing with the Memphis Chicks, a minor league affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. In September 1986, he was called to the majors. Jackson had his best MLB career in 1989 when he made it to the American League All-Star team and was named as the All-Star game Most Valuable Player (MVP). Between 1986 and 1989, Bo earned $1.06 million in salary from the Royals. The Royals in 1989 then signed him to a $1 million, 1-year contract.

Following his football hip injury in 1991, the Royals became doubtful of his future performance and released him without paying his $2.4 million 1991 salary for his injury rehabilitation. However, 16 days after the release, he was signed by the Chicago White Sox, but unfortunately, the hip injury continued to mar his performance. Jackson later played for the California Angels in 1994 before choosing to retire. He earned about $4.4 million from the White Sox and Angels from 1991 to 1994.

Bo Jackson Full Net Worth

Bo’s MLB Career Stats

Beginning in the year 1986, Bo Jackson played for a total of 3 teams in Major League Baseball namely the Kansas City Royals (1986 to 1990), Chicago White Sox (1991 to 1993), and lastly the California Angels (1994) after which he left the sport. In these years, Bo was able to attain the numbers below in the various games he played in each MLB season.

Year Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG
1986 KCR 25 82 9 17 2 1 2 9 3 1 7 34 .207 .286 .329
1987 KCR 116 396 46 93 17 2 22 53 10 4 30 158 .235 .296 .455
1988 KCR 124 439 63 108 16 4 25 68 27 6 25 146 .246 .287 .472
1989 KCR 135 515 86 132 15 6 32 105 26 9 39 172 .256 .310 .495
1990 KCR 111 405 74 110 16 1 28 78 15 9 44 128 .272 .342 .523
1991 CHW 23 71 8 16 4 0 3 14 0 1 12 25 .225 .333 .408
1992 CHW
1993 CHW 85 284 32 66 9 0 16 45 0 2 23 106 .232 .289 .433
1994 CAL 75 201 23 56 7 0 13 43 1 0 20 72 .279 .344 .507
Total 694 2,393 341 598 86 14 141 415 82 32 200 841 .250 .309 .474

Analysis of His Net Worth and NFL Salary 

The Bucs lost their rights to Jackson before the 1987 NFL draft, making him open to other franchises. And then came Al Davis, owner of Los Angeles Raiders who was a huge fan of Bo. Davis offered Bo a 5-year $7.4 million contract to play part-time with the Raiders anytime the baseball season was over. Bo agreed, making his NFL debut in a Week 8 match against the New England Patriots in 1987.

While Bo was still able to play sports, his performance was only a shadow of his former self. He retired in 1994 at the age of 28. Later in 2012, it was revealed that Jackson received $4 million disability insurance fee for the injury. He is currently worth $16 million.

Bo’s NFL Career Stats

When Bo joined the NFL, expectations were high that he will have a stellar career as he had in the MLB. He did start off well, like in his baseball career, Bo had his best NFL season in 1989 when he was selected to the Pro Bowl which became the only one in his career. He only played for the Los Angeles Raiders in the 4 years he was on the league. Thus, his football stats aren’t that impressive.

Rushing Receiving
Year  Team GP Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1987 LA 7 81 554 6.8 91 4 16 136 8.5 23 2
1988 LA 10 136 580 4.3 25 3 9 79 8.8 27 0
1989 LA 11 173 950 5.5 92 4 9 69 7.7 20 0
1990 LA 10 125 698 5.6 88 5 6 68 11.3 18 0
Total 38 515 2,782 5.4 92 16 40 352 9.1 27 2

The Devastating Hip Injury Which Ended His NFL Career

Jackson’s hip injury came in a playoff match against the Cincinnati Bengals where he was tackled by Bengals cornerback Rod Jones. What seemed like a routine tackle turned out to be devastating.

Bo underwent a hip replacement surgery and was diagnosed with avascular necrosis which to the lay man means that there was inadequate blood flow to his hips and as a result, cells and cartilages around the area were being destroyed.

Speaking with USA Today Sports back in 2017, Bo revealed that he would never have played football if he knew what he knew today about the injury risks in the game back then. The retired running back also revealed that he would tell his kids to play any sports apart from football.

Endorsements And Entrepreneurship

Bo Jackson

One of the greatest athletes during his heydays, Bo was a highly sought-after endorsement partner. His most notable endorsement was with Nike. Bo promoted Nike’s first of its kind Air Trainer I in a popular commercial called “Bo Knows”. The success of the commercial helped the cross-training shoe to outsell Air Jordans in 1990. Consequently, the value of his endorsement deal surged from $100,000 to $3 million annually.

Years into his retirement and Bo is still benefitting from his endorsement partners. In recent years, he has starred in KIA commercials. He reportedly earned $10 million from his endorsements including Nike in 2012.

In 2007, he established a youth sports training facility in Illinois known as Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports. The training complex which measures 88,000-square-foot benefits from the sponsorship of Nike and Gatorade. The facility receives an average of $300,000 in sponsorship revenue each year. Meanwhile, an average sports facility in the US receives $40,000 in annual revenue.

Bo also makes money from business investments. In 2008, the New York Times reported that Bo alongside 19 other bank organizers invested $11 million in a new bank, Burr Ridge Bank & Trust. He also earned a seat on the bank’s board.

Bo in 2017 told USA Today that he would’ve stuck with baseball had he known that playing football could expose one to the risk of having CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). And while concussion wasn’t responsible for his short career, he would’ve probably not had his hips broken and had a longer baseball playing career but like he also said in the interview, he has no regrets and is blessed to still be reaping the benefits of his short career.

What We Know About Bo Jackson’s Height, Weight, and Body Measurements

Huge and impressive in build, Bo Jackson was one of the fiercest rivals in his prime. At his height of 1.85 meters (approximately 6ft 1In), and weight of 104 kg (approximately 229 pounds), he was pretty fast and strong, known all over the MLB and the NFL as a force to be reckoned with.

Meet Bo Jackson’s Wife

Bo Jackson, Linda Jackson
Bo Jackson, Linda Jackson

Although Bo Jackson has been able to keep much of his very personal family life away from the media, we know that he is married to a clinical psychologist, Linda Jackson. Prior to her marriage with Bo, she went by the name Linda Garrett. While growing, she played the violin and at the same time was a studious girl. She studied at Tuskegee University where she earned a degree in biology and later earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Auburn University.

In the pursuit of her career, Linda worked at the Mobile County Community Mental Health Center as a supervisor and later as a counseling psychologist in a hospital. All the while, her colleagues never knew she was the better-half of the highly celebrated Bo Jackson. From a Chicago Tribune publication of 1993, we further learned that she is averse to people identifying her as the wife of the ace sportsman and not for who she is or what she has attained in her career.

When Bo was actively playing sports, Linda abandoned her career to help run her husband’s business. She served as the vice president of Bo Jackson Enterprises Inc. after the company was founded in 1992. However, since her husband forced retirement, Linda has gone back to her career while her husband stays home. Nonetheless, the couple is perfectly happy with each other.

The Couple’s 3 Kids are now Adults

The Jacksons

The couple got married in 1987 and have three children: Two sons Garrett and Nicholas, and a daughter Morgan and together, they all lived in Burr Ridge, Illinois at the time. Their first child/son Garrett Jackson was born on the 13th day of July 1986, the same day his dad clubbed his first pro home run in the MLB. Two years later, Nicholas Jackson was born sometime in November 1988 before their third child and only daughter Morgan Jackson was born.

The couple’s children are all adults and true to what his father said about advising his children not to play American football, none of his sons played the sports, at least professionally.

Not much is known about the Jackson kids but in a 2015 interview Morgan had as published on wagsredefined.com, we were able to learn she earned a degree in English/Professional and Public Writing and Minor in Communications from Auburn University. For her brothers, Garrett works as a public relations and marketing personnel in Chicago while Nicholas works as an engineer in Alabama.

Profile Summary
First Name:Vincent
Last Name:Jackson
Also Known As:
Bo, Bo Knows
Sex/Gender:
Male
Profession:
Former professional baseball and football player, actor
Famous For:"Married... with Children",
" The Chamber"
Colleges/Universities Attended:
Auburn
Educational Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Child Development
Religion:
Christianity
Birthday & Zodiac
Age/Date of Birth:
November 30, 1962
Zodiac Sign:Sagittarius
Birth Place:
Bessemer, Alabama
Nationality:American
Ethnicity/Race:
African American
Country of Residence:
United States of America (USA)
Physical Attributes
Height:
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:
227 lb (103 kg)
Eye Colour:
Dark Brown
Hair Color:
Bald
Other Body Measurements:
N/A
Relationships
Marital Status:
Married
Spouse/Partner:
Linda Jackson (m. 1987)
Family and Relatives
Father:
A.D. Adams
Mother:Florence Bond
Children:
Garrett Jackson,
Nicholas Jackson,
Morgan Jackson
Siblings:N/A
Other Relatives:
N/A
Net Worth
Estimated Net Worth:
$16 million
Salary:N/A
Source of Wealth:
His baseball/football career, acting, other businesses
Uwa Echebiri
Uwa Echebiri
Reading about the luxe lives of celebrities is something many find too vain to indulge in, however, Uwa’s expert analysis on celebrity wealth would pique the curiosity of the most uninterested folk.

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