re: 30 for 30: You Don't Know Bo

Totally loved it.

Agreed. Many hate ESPN for various reasons but I think the majority can agree their 30 for 30 films are some of the best sports productions.

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I can't put into words how much I enjoyed that 30 for 30 tonight.

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Bo was hands down the greatest athlete I've ever seen.

I thought it was really well put together, the animations almost comic book like were really fitting for some of the "legends" of Bo. Great show, he really is a unique personality and athlete.

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I thought it was really well put together, the animations almost comic book like were really fitting for some of the "legends" of Bo. Great show, he really is a unique personality and athlete.

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The Director said it was because there were no childhood pics of Bo so it worked out of necessity and also added to the story being told

This is another really good read on Bo. It's an in-depth interview that delves into the personal side of Bo

Yeah, read that one when it came out. There is not much I haven't read about Bo unless it is recent. Speaking of that...

Pat Washington on Bo from yesterday...

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Did you know Bo? Pat Washington did.

As Auburn's starting quarterback in 1984-85, you couldn't have gotten a better seat for Bo Jackson's legendary exploits than Washington had. He saw him break tackles, break records, and do things no athlete has done since.

"You Don't Know Bo" airs tonight at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN, immediately following the Heisman Trophy presentation. It's part of the network's excellent "30 for 30" series.

Washington, who was Kentucky's wide receivers coach in 2012, arrived on campus at Auburn with Jackson in 1982. In that era, before scouting services and internet recruit rankings, freshmen were an unknown quantity. Jackson didn't stand out at first.

It wasn't until Washington went home with Jackson one weekend that he started to think the Tigers might have found a special player.

"I noticed his trophy case was a little bigger than most people's," Washington said.

That was nothing.

In his first scrimmage in fall camp, Jackson broke a long run for the end zone. Washington can't remember exactly how long it was, but "It was long enough where people had a chance to catch him, but nobody could."

Jackson ended up with one of the most outstanding college careers of any player. He won the Heisman in 1985, when he and Washington were seniors. He played in the NFL from 1987-90 and played major league baseball from 1986-94. He was an MLB All-Star and a Pro Bowler.

During his Heisman year, the Tigers played No. 4 Florida State. The Seminoles had a precocious freshman DB who also went on to be a two-sport star: Deion Sanders.

"I tossed the ball to Bo, a little sweep to the left side," Washington said. "It looked like Deion Sanders had an angle on him, and then he just left him. He was beside him, and then he was behind him."

There are a million stories like that about Jackson. He hit a broken bat home run. He would hit routine grounders to second base and beat the throw to first. He broke through linebackers as if tissue paper was trying to tackle him. Whatever he wanted to do, he could do.

"The guy can throw. The guy can run," Washington said. "The fastest guy I've ever been around. The best football player I've ever been around."

It wasn't even limited to football. In that first summer as freshmen, Washington went home with Jackson one weekend. He remembers them going to the pool together.

Washington hadn't even seen Jackson on the football field, but he was immediately impressed. The running back went up on the diving board and perfectly executed a one-and-a-half flip dive into the pool. There was no splash.

"He looked like a professional diver," Washington said. "I thought right then we had something special at Auburn. I called my mom and said 'We've got another Herschel Walker at Auburn."

Jackson is now an avid bow hunter. Washington remembers when Jackson bought his first bow while they were in college. He was with him the very first time he went to shoot it. Jackson pulled the string back, aimed, and fired.

Bull's eye.

"He was just naturally gifted," Washington said. "The guy could do whatever he wanted."

He probably could have even played quarterback. He and Washington once decided to see who could throw a football farther. Washington began loosening up, tossing shorter passes and gauging the arc he'd need to throw his pass.

Washington threw the ball somewhere between 65 and 70 yards. He felt good.

Jackson stepped up. He decided to forgo any warm-up. He threw the ball once.

"It was a wobbly pass, very high, but by the time it came down, it was about 100 yards," Washington said. "This dude, unbelievable, man."

Washington, a good athlete in his own right, was always amazed by Jackson's exploits. During summer weightlifting the Auburn players were testing their bench press. When a skill player broke 300 pounds, it generated a lot of excitement.

Jackson's turn came, and he repped 350 pounds easily. Washington said 400 might have been attainable for him.

It was the same story when they went to be timed in the 40-yard dash by pro scouts. Washington turned in a 4.6 and felt pretty good about himself. When he was done, he lined up next to one of the scouts to watch Jackson.

He remembers Bo -- who weighed about 225 pounds -- blazing through the drill, but looking relaxed. The scouts were shocked.

"The scouts were all looking at each other, comparing time," Washington said. "I looked over and saw one of the clocks. 4.19 was on one of the clocks."

And he may have even been better at baseball. Washington and many of his teammates were never much interested in the game, but they stopped what they were doing when Bo was playing.

"Our dorm was right across from the baseball field," Washington said. "We'd be sitting in the dorm and you'd hear a bat: Bo Jackson. Everybody walked out from the dorm room to watch Bo."

Bo's career was short, but his list of exploits long. It's difficult to separate the hyperbole from the truth about Jackson's career, because in many cases, the truth was outrageous.

"He was on a different level," Washington said.

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Great stories you are providing TiM.

It was even more special watching him live, but it's fun to revisit that time as well.

Wow I don't know which was worse. Him running over the Boz or the stiff arm he hit Deion with

There's a thread on the MSB started by a Bama fan comparing the two, I'm going to link this

Seeing him in his man cave was pretty cool. It's sometimes easy to forget these type of athletes have a real life and have hobbies other than sports. I thought the part where he threw the guy out from the fence and the guy just couldn't believe it happened was pretty funny too.