Bo Sightings

Bo, me and sister Leslie, New Orleans Hotel, Sugar Bowl 1984

Thanks to Dad, who's been getting Auburn sports tickets for over three decades, as a child I not only watched the great Bo Jackson play during his storied career on The Plains, but also had the chance to meet him a few times.  At that time, in the '80s, this was really big-time.    I will never forget the Auburn-Michigan Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.   We went inside the Super Dome for a practice and saw Bo and his teammates getting ready for the game and speaking to the media.  Later, we hurried back to the team's hotel where we greeted the Tiger players and coaches.  That's where my sister Leslie and I had the above photo taken.  Then, the next day or two we were back at the team hotel.  This time I got word of which room Bo was staying in.   Of course, being a sports-crazed 13 yr. old, I went up the elevator and knocked on Bo's door.  Wearing his bathrobe, Bo opened the door and stepped out into the hall to talk with me. His backfield mate/best friend, Lionel James, was singing in the shower, and we could hear him because the door was propped open a bit.  It was quite funny.  Bo, who was already a huge star, was very nice and courteous.  I was certainly awestruck.

I had a chance to meet Bo two other times.  Once, in Athens, Georgia, after a victory over the Dawgs, Dad took us around the backside of the stadium where the Auburn team was walking to the bus that would take them back to their hotel.  Bo walked out, smiling from ear-to-ear.  He was wearing camouflage and holding a box of KFC chicken.  I walked up and got his autograph.  On another occasion, after Bo had left Auburn and begun his professional sports career, I was back in Auburn getting ready to see a basketball game.  Bo was working out on the baseball field, and he happened to be wearing a Kansas City Royals uniform.  When he finished his workout, he left the baseball diamond and started walking across the basketball coliseum parking lot.  He was with his girlfriend (perhaps wife at the time).  And, strangely enough, they were by themselves.  I spotted Bo and walked over, spoke with him and got his autograph once again.  Bo was his usual nice self.

While I am sharing Bo stories, I need to throw in that my sister had a class with him at Auburn.  She asked him if she could get his autograph for her brother, me!   If he only had known of my other successes!  Leslie said that Bo jokingly asked out loud, in front of the other students, how much he should charge my sister.

Finally, if I had to really, really brag about my one Bo moment, it might just be the following picture and story.

A-Day Race of '84

I was one of the kids who raced Bo that day.  My cousin Jeff sent this photo w/ article to me and thought he spotted me in the picture.  I believe I was further to the right of Bo and out of picture.  All I know for sure is that I certainly didn't outrun Bo, even with a 30-40 yard head start.  To see where Bo ranks in the fastest 40 yard dash times ever, click here.  And here's Bo, in his own words, talking about his fastest 40.

Thanksgiving, 1985.

What triggered all these Bo Jackson memories was Auburn's recent national championship and an e-mail an ole Samford University fraternity brother sent.  He attached the above picture and the following description.

Hey Allen -

This picture was taken near Auburn at my uncle and aunt's (aunt is my mom's sister) hunting lodge on their land.  Bo went there quite a bit to hunt - with my uncle while in college, and after.  They were much a family to him, and of course he loved hunting.  My family always gathered every Thanksgiving there at the lodge for the whole weekend.  Bo spent that Thanskgiving day with our family- eating, hunting, playing pool......and came back to hunt the next morning.....then the following day is when he played in the Iron Bowl that they lost on the Van Tiffen kick. 

For Thanksgiving dinner after hunting, I remember thinking how weird it was to be sitting at the table right next to Bo - along with my two brothers, and three of my cousins....just hanging out, and then him showing us a few pool tricks.  A memorable day to say the least.  After the iron bowl, we were all still at the camp house, and Bo called to ask if he had played well enough to come back to hunt some more!

Happy New Year!!

Andy

In late summer 2012, when we were on our visits to Headland to spend time with Dad, one evening Kade and I treated Uncle Don and Aunt Marilyn to dinner at Hunt's in Dothan, AL.  We wanted to do something for them, simply because they had generously opened up their home for us to stay.  Anyway, we went to Hunt's and found a booth.  I looked over and saw this Bo Jackson quote.  The dinner was nice, and the conversation was even better.  One topic we touched on was Madonna's controversial statements at a Moscow, Russia concert, and how all that tied back to an all-girls rock band that had been charged with inciting religious hatred and desecrating church symbols after they broke into the country's largest Orthodox Church in Moscow and performed one of their acts.  When I asked Aunt Marilyn what would happen if a similar situation happened at the Baptist Church in Headland, she said a strong reaction (a la Putin) would be likely.  And I agreed.