January PPOW

Vincent Edward Jackson

Vincent Edward Jackson a.k.a “Bo” Jackson was born on November 30, 1962 in Bessemer, Alabama. Bo Jackson became famous as a multi-talented athlete. He had played baseball, football, and track when he was young.

He was signed by the New York Yankees during High School but, he decided to apply for Auburn University. While in school, Bo led his baseball and football team to victory. He was his football team’s MVP and was the Sugar Bowl Champ. Also, he tried out for track and field. Going pro Bo was signed by the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox and the California Angels. During his baseball career he was named the 1989 All-Star Game MVP, had four 20 home-run seasons and tied the record for most consecutive at-bat home-runs with four home runs. He had 141 home runs with 415 RBI in 2,393 hits and a .250 hitter.  

During his football career he had a total of 2,393 yards on 515 carries with an average of 5.4 and a total of 18 touchdowns. He was the first in NFL history to have two rushing touchdowns for over 90 yards. He had a 91 yard touchdown which set a record of 221 yards.

In his last game he had a tragic injury that ended his career. He had to have a hip replacement. That ended both his football and baseball careers.

Barry Sanders

Barry Sanders was born on July 16, 1968 in Wichita, Kansas. Barry has two brothers and eight sisters. He won a lot of state honors but, he did not get a lot of scholarships because of his short height.

From 1986-1988 he played for Oklahoma State Cowboys.  He was the third overall draft pick. In 1989 he was drafted to the Detroit Lions and his number was 20 which was the same as some of the most famous players like Billy Sims or Lern Barney.

In 1991 and 1993 Barry was part of the squad that won the NFC Central Division Title. In 1994 he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year and had a total of 2,166 yards of that season. He had beat his own total for 1,500 yards with 398 receiving yards in 1995 but, in 1996 he had a career low of only 147 receiving yards. In 1997 he became the third after O.J. Simpson to get over 2,000 rushing yards. In 1998 his career ended but, he had five seasons in a row with over 1,500 rushing yards. In 1999 he announced his retirement from the NFL. He retired from the NFL with a total of 15,269 rushing yards, 2,921 receiving yards, and 109 touchdowns.

    Joe Montana

Joseph C. Montana Jr. was born on June 11, 1956 in New Eagle, Pennsylvania. His dad, Joe Montana Sr., was a manager with a finance company also his mom, Theresa, was the secretary of that same company. Joe lived in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, as a kid, Joe would wait for his dad to come home just so they could play catch.

He had gotten a basketball scholarship from North Carolina State University but, loving football, Joe decided to go to Indiana for both sports and school. He was worried about deciding to come to Indiana and playing for their football team because he was the seventh-string quarterback. Twice as a sophomore he led the team to come back and gain points but, for unlikely wins. He played for twelve minutes against Air Force and his team to came back from losing by 20 points. He didn’t become a first-string quarterback until his senior year where he had another comeback in the fourth quarter.

In the NFL draft there was eighty-one players who were drafted before Joe was late in the third round. The San Francisco 49ers coach needed someone who could think past the defensive strategies along with throwing the ball quickly and accurately. The 49ers at that time were considered the best team offensively. Joe led his team to victory again against the Dallas Cowboys in the last few seconds of the game.  

Joe Montana led his team against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl XVI 26-21. Joe was named the game’s MVP but it was meant to happen. The 49ers won four titles including the Super Bowl titles in both 1989 and 1990. Joe was awarded MVP for three out of the four championship games. He had almost made 70 percent of his passes but, he did not throw a single interception in 122 attempts. In Super Bowl XXIII he led the 49ers to victory against Cincinnati again, 20-16. Joe held NFL playoff records for completions, yards, and touchdowns.