Athletes are unarguably one of the best inspirations in the history of the world. Their versatility, dedication, and consistency leave a deep impression on the world’s individuals. Similar is another multi-sport millionaire athlete body Bo Jackson. He is one of those sportsmen who aced two of the world’s most-played games at the international level. His major high-end leagues in baseball and football brought him fame and a lot of money. Apart from his sports career, let us dive deep into Bo Jackson net worth which is an outcome of multiple other ventures!
Bo Jackson Biography
| Net Worth | $25 Million |
| Real Name | Vincent Edward Bo Jackson |
| Born On | November 30, 1962 |
| Place Of Birth | Bessemer, Alabama |
| Profession | Professional Athlete And Businessman |
| Height | 6 ft. |
| Salary | $2 Million |
| Updated:✅ |
Early Life
Vincent Edward, better known as ‘BO’ Jackson, was born on November 30, 1962, in Bessemer, Alabama. He belongs to a large family of 10 siblings but is the most talented out of all. For his early education, Bo attended McAdory High School. From this particular age, he started making unbreakable records in football.
Surprisingly, he was also a part of the school’s baseball team. His first-ever record in his life history was 20 home runs in 25 games. Moreover, before entering his University, Jackson twice broke state records for the decathlon and won the Alabama state title. In 1982, while Jackson was at school, he was also a winner in the indoor high jump and triple jump. However, after graduating in 1982, he was approached by the best American professional baseball team New York Yankees.
However, Jackson got himself enrolled at Auburn University on a football scholarship. The reason behind not going on the professional team and attending university was that he had made a promise to his mother. Moreover, he wanted to fulfill his mother’s wish for him to be the first in the family to attend college. Alongside college, he played football, baseball, and ran tracks, making him a versatile sportsman with unbelievable abilities.
Professional Career
After making an incredible popularity in school and college, he was picked as number one in the 1986 NFL draft by the official American football team ‘Tampa Bay Buccaneers’. However, He joined the ‘Kansas City Royals’ choosing baseball over football. In the following year, 1987, he also played football for the Los Angeles Raiders.
The era of the 1990s was the best of all for Jackson. He started making an earning of $1 MIllion in early 1990. His remarkable 11.3 yards per reception and 5.6 yards per rush in football, and 0.272 batting average in baseball brought prominence to his sports career.
Baseball Career
When ‘Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ selected Jackson, he refused because he could not afford to miss his senior school baseball league. At Bo’s visit to the NFL field, the NCAA approval was a misguidance for him only. Instead, it was not. As a result, he was also banned from school baseball sports for accepting an NFL invite. According to him, NFL planned the agenda to make him quit his baseball career and play football only.
| Baseball Earning | |
| 1986 | $60,000 |
| 1987 | $330,000 |
| 1988 | $338,000 |
| 1989 | $610,000 |
| 1990-1993 | $1 Million-$ 2.4Million |
Moreover, after refusing to sign for the NFL draft, he signed a three-year $1.07 Million agreement with the Kansas City royals. He played 53 games with their minor affiliate league, the Memphis Chicks. In 1987, he was a part of the major Royal Roasters in September.
In 1991, unfortunately, he faced a hip injury. At this time, Chicago White Sox made a three-year seasonal $700,000 contract with BO. Apart from that, they had a fixed performance reward of $8.15 Million. He played two seasons with the SOX in 1991 with a $1.1 million salary and in 1993 with $2.4 Million earnings. However, Jackson’s 1992 year was an off-season for him. He had hip surgery, which compelled him to retire in 1994 with the California Angels at the age of 32 only.
Football Career
In 1987, Jackson rejected the NFL draft for his interest and committed to playing baseball only. He was happy to know that if he became a part of the Los Angeles Raiders, the owner AI Davis would allow him to play baseball and football simultaneously. This was what Bo wanted all his life.
| Football Earning | |
| 5-year contract | $7.4 Million |
| NFL 4 Seasons | $6,100,000 |
| NFL Bonus | $500,000 |
As a matter of fact, Jackson filed a five-year contract worth $7.4 Million. Moreover, AI Davis offered BO the highest possible salary in the history of the NFL as a non-quarterback player. Additionally, he was granted a reported bonus of $500,000 for the four seasons he played in the NFL. Contrarily, the unfortunate hip injury in 1991 pushed him to retirement at a very early age.
Nike Contract
The largest sports brand Nike needs no introduction at all. However, Bo Jackson net worth is notably a result of his relationship and contract with Nike. The sports brand claims the ‘Bo Knows’ commercial series is the most successful advertising campaign.
In 1989, Nike reportedly generated $40 Million per year from trainer shoes. However, after the Bo knows campaign, Nike captured 80% of the cross-trainer shoe industry and generated $400 Million in revenue. Besides that, Bo earned around $3 Million per year from the brand. Although Nike needs no proof for its record-breaking mark in the sports industry, the brand is quite thankful for BO’s Nike endorsements.
Nike’s Tribute To Bo
In honor of Bo, Nike has allotted a dedicated building on the corporate campus in Beaverton, Oregon. Within the 60,000 square foot sports and wellness center, the audience is provided with elite training facilities, such as a basketball court, indoor track and childcare facilities, etc.
In addition, although Bo retired from sports a while ago, Nike still pays BO around $1 Million per year. This amount is not a paycheck but a thank-you note to Bo for being such a prominent figure in the brand’s history.
Other Brand Endorsements
Apart from the prominent Nike sponsorship deal, he started making appearances in advertisements of PepsiCo X At&T, through which he made around $500,00 per year. Moreover, his endorsements for Gatorade and mountain dew are worth $1 Million per year.
In a nutshell, by 2012, he made around $10 Million from brand endorsements. Moreover, he has been labeled as ‘the most persuasive athlete in advertising’.In addition, the elite sports complex makes an average of $300,000 from Gatorade and Nike sponsorships. In addition, Jackson makes around $2 Million per year from his other endorsement ventures.
Business Ventures
Apart from playing sports, Jackson has been featured in multiple well-known video games. For instance, ‘Tecmo bowl’ for Nintendo, his original game ‘Bo Jackson hit and run’, NFL, and many other games for NES and IBM. In addition, Bo has been making certain television appearances in different shows and series. Such as NBC’s ‘Saturday morning cartoon show,’ Married… with children, ‘Diagnosis murder’ , etc.
Post-Retirement Career
Although it is hard to witness a legendary athlete’s retirement, Jackson never lost hope after his retirement. He pursued other interests and became a successful human being. After his retirement, he completed his Bachelor’s degree.
Moreover, he started making appearances on screen. Moreover, he was appointed president of the HealthSouth Sports Medicine Council, Bermingham. In the 2000s, after Bo’s retirement, he became a part of a joint venture in 2008 with a group of investors at ‘The Burr Ridge Bank& Trust’ in Illinois with an $11 Million investment and became the board of directors.
Investments And Philanthropy
In addition, he has been a shareholder and CEO of the ‘Bo Jackson Elite Sports Complex’ since 2007, which is also in Illinois. Subsequently, Jackson is also a philanthropist. He started a fund named ‘Bo Bikes Bama’ to aid his hometown Almaba after the storms. He raised $1.1 million in collaboration with other celebrities at this event.
Also, he returned to White SOX as a brand ambassador in 2014. Besides that, Bo has also made money from another investment in N’genuity, a food company. In 2021, he started working on a range of CBD products under the brand name ‘Hero brand CBD’ in collaboration with ‘Promise Nutraceuticals’.Apart from that, he invested in a $1.08 Million house where he lives with his immediate family.
Bo Jackson Total Net Worth
As a conjunction of all the ventures and leagues of the legendary athlete, Bo Jackson’s net worth is $25 Million. Most of their income came from his sports, an average of $6.8 Million from baseball and $7.4 Million from football. In addition, after Bo’s hip injury, he received an amount of $4,000,000 as disability insurance.
Apart from an early retirement, Jackson is claimed as the richest athlete across the globe. Being such a legendary player, retirement is a challenging decision. However, Jackson built his net worth after this unfortunate incident. Moreover, he inspires people that ‘giving up’ is not a solution. Standing up and fighting from zero is the key to a successful career.
