Bo Jackson Net Worth

Bo Jackson was one of the most impressive athletes in history. Not only did he have success in professional baseball and football, but he also dominated both sports at the college level. This made him a household name and helped him amass a fortune that is still growing today. In this article, we will take a look at Bo Jackson’s net worth and how he has managed to make so much money throughout his career.

Early Life

Bo Jackson was born on November 30, 1962, in Bessemer, Alabama. He is the eighth of his family’s ten children, and he has many siblings. He was a student at McAdory High. While playing running back for his high school football team, he set several records. Not only was he good at baseball, but in 25 games, he hit 20 home runs.

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In addition to his two-state decathlon championships, he also broke numerous state track records. Even though the New York Yankees selected him in the 1982 draft, Jackson didn’t just enroll at Auburn University on a football scholarship–he made his mother promise that he would be the first member of his family to attend college. While attending Auburn, Jackson also played baseball and ran track. He has received impressive stats in each of the three sports and is renowned for his exceptional talent in multiple sports.

Personal Life

Linda, Jackson’s wife, works as a counselor in rehabilitation. Garrett, Nicholas, and Morgan are the couple’s two sons, and they also have a daughter named Morgan. He kept his promise to his mother to go to college after giving up playing sports by earning his Bachelor of Science in Family and Children Development from Auburn University in 1995.

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Baseball Career

Jackson had planned to play football professionally after college. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made him their first-round pick in the 1986 NFL Draft. But after being forced to forgo his senior college baseball season due to a visit to the Buccaneers’ team facilities, he refused to play for them.

He had been informed by the Buccaneers that the visit was NCAA-approved, but it was not; as a result, he was prohibited from participating in college sports. He thinks the Buccaneers purposefully declined to get NCAA approval as a way of convincing him to play professional football instead of baseball. He chose the Kansas City Royals over any other team who had chosen him in the 1986 draft. Jackson negotiated a three-year, $1.07 million deal with the Royals that saw him playing 53 games with their Class AA minor league affiliate, the Memphis Chicks.

In September 1986, he was promoted to the majors, and in 1987, he was added to the Royals’ roster. The Chicago White Sox made him an offer for a three-year contract with a guaranteed $700,000 per season and an $8.15 million performance-based upside after the Royals released him due to an injury in 1991. Jackson spent two seasons with the White Sox, in 1991 and 1993; he missed the 1992 campaign and was placed on the disabled list due to hip replacement surgery that year. In 1994, he retired from his professional athletic career with the California Angels at the age of 32.

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Jackson was chosen by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 183rd pick in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL Draft. Jackson was not interested at first and determined to concentrate on his baseball career, but after learning that Raiders owner Al Davis was amenable to the idea of him playing both sports concurrently, Jackson warmed to the idea of playing in the NFL. Although it caused him to miss NFL games, He negotiated a 5-year contract with the Raiders for $7.4 million that allowed him to finish each MLB season before he reported to them.

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In addition, Davis provided Jackson with a reported $500,000 signing bonus in addition to the highest salary of any non-quarterback player in NFL history at the time. In his four seasons of NFL play, Jackson rushed for 2,782 yards and 16 touchdowns on an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Additionally, he hauled in 40 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns.

In the aftermath of a tackle during his final professional football game in January 1991, he dislocated his hip. He eventually needed to have his left hip replaced due to the avascular necrosis it caused. He struggled with this injury up until his eventual retirement in 1994, which led to the Royals releasing him from the team.

Career Earnings

Bo made $6.8 million in baseball salary and $6.1 million in football salary over the course of his professional career. When inflation is taken into account, the total is equivalent to about $20 million. Moreover, Bo accrued a fortune from endorsement deals, generally with Nike and Gatorade. In 1986, Nike offered Bo an annual salary of $100,000 to play baseball if he agreed not to participate in the NFL. However, if he chose to partake in both sports, they would pay him one million dollars total.

Bo earned $500,000 per year from Pepsi and AT&T (combined), $1 million from Nike, and $1 million from Gatorade at the height of his playing career while under a five-year, $7.4 million contract with the Los Angeles Raiders and a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the Kansas City Royals. Bo made $6 million in salary and endorsements annually at the start of the 1990s. That is equal to $11 million in today’s dollars after inflation.

Nike Deal

Bo’s partnership with Nike was extraordinarily successful, most notably the “Bo Knows” ad campaign which is widely considered one of the best marketing campaigns in history. When the 1989 commercials first aired, Nike was making about $40 million a year from the sale of cross-trainer shoes. Within a year of the campaign’s launch, Nike reportedly had 80% of the global cross-trainer market under control and was bringing in $400 million annually.

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As you might expect, Nike was very appreciative of Bo’s efforts as an endorser. I’m so appreciative that Bo’s employer did two things in his honor:

1) The Nike corporate campus in Beaverton, Oregon pays tribute to athletes who have made significant contributions to the company by naming each building after one of these individuals. Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and Bo Jackson are honored by having their names on the campus’s three biggest buildings. The Bo Jackson Wellness and Sports Center, which is 60,000 square feet, includes a basketball court, childcare facilities, a two-lane indoor track, and more.

2) Nike continued to pay Bo. Bo still receives what is thought to be AT LEAST $1 million per year from Nike, despite the fact that he hasn’t participated in a professional sport in decades. Bo’s pay is essentially just an annual thank-you note, unlike Michael Jordan who still promotes a product for the business.

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Other Work

Jackson has appeared in several video games, including “Tecmo Bowl” for the NES, “Bo Jackson’s Hit and Run” for the original Game Boy, “Bo Jackson Baseball” for the NES and IBM-compatible computers, “ESPN NFL Football,” “NFL Street 2,” “Madden 15,” and “Madden 16.”

Additionally, he has made a number of television appearances. He played the role of Calvin Farquhar on the television series “Married… with Children,” appeared in an episode of “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” in a 1995 episode of “Diagnosis Murder,” and appeared as a guest on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in 1990. He also voiced a character in the NBC Saturday morning cartoon series “ProStars.”

Business Ventures

The Burr Ridge Bank and Trust, located in the Chicago suburb of Burr Ridge, Illinois, is owned by a group of investors, including Jackson. Additionally, he serves as CEO and a co-owner of the 88,000-square-foot multi-sport Bo Jackson Elite Sports Complex in Lockport, Illinois. In 2007, he and his business partner John Cangelosi founded the facility. Additionally, he has invested in the food business N’Genuity.

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Bo Jackson Net Worth

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Netting $25 million, Bo Jackson is a retired professional football and baseball player who some regard as the best athlete of all time. He was unquestionably the greatest athlete of his generation and a key figure in the history of celebrity product endorsement. Nike was elevated to incredible heights by Bo and Michael Jordan in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Conclusion

Bo Jackson’s net worth is estimated to be $25 million. This makes him one of the most successful multi-sport athletes in history. Jackson’s career accomplishments both on the baseball field and football gridiron have earned him a spot among the greatest sports figures of all time. His financial success has enabled him to establish the Bo Jackson Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps improve the lives of young people through athletics and education. The foundation’s goal is to give access to sports and recreational activities to youth in underserved communities, promote academic success, and foster healthier lifestyles. With his philanthropic efforts and impressive net worth, Bo Jackson continues to inspire us all.

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