Bo Jackson NFL Draft: Tampa Bay “Misleading” the 1986 No. 1 Pick Led to the “Biggest Draft Blunder of All Time”

It is not always the case where the NFL Draft proceeds perfectly. There have been times when the league and the teams have made massive errors. One such mistake was made by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers more than three and a half decades ago. The Pewter Pirates were once handed a once-in-a-lifetime running back in the face of Bo Jackson. However, the team completely blew the opportunity to have in their unit.

It was widely known by everyone that Jackson wanted to play baseball in the early months of 1986. Even though he was a talented ballplayer in his college years, there was a significant possibility he would make a big name for himself in the NFL. He was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and one of the most talented running back prospects. Hence, when the Buccaneers held the first pick in the upcoming draft, there was no way they were going to let a powerhouse like Jackson slip away.

What went wrong a month before the 1986 NFL Draft?

Bo had time and again vocalized that he was not interested in playing for the NFL during his junior and senior years at Auburn. However, an incident took place that made him ineligible to take part in Auburn’s baseball team.

As the college baseball season was in full force, the former RB did not have time to devote to the upcoming NFL draft. But Frelon Abbot, his ‘business manager,’ and Phil Krueger, the Bucs’ assistant to the president, arranged a meeting where the team would send Hugh Culverhouse’s private plant to Auburn Municipal Airport to pick up Jackson, fly him to Florida for a medical test, and return him to take part in a baseball game. As planned, Jackson boarded the plane and made the trip. But his baseball coach, Hal Baird, heard this and realized that a problem was approaching them.

Athletes were allowed to be professionals in one sport and amateurs in another by the NCAA as a whole. The SEC, however, persisted in insisting that all of its participants be complete amateurs. Jackson would become a professional if the owner of a business team paid for a flight. This nullified his eligibility for playing for his college’s baseball team right away.

Did Bo Jackson play in the NFL?

When the day finally came, Jackson flew to New York City and was present in the draft proceedings. He was nervous. Though the baseball star did not want to play for the Buccaneers, he did want to be the No. 1 pick. Leeman Bennett had told the Bucs owner that unless the young prospect was 100% sure about signing with the team, drafting him could be a potentially historic blunder.

Culverhouse and the then-QB of the team, Steve Young, met for an intimate dinner. There, Culverhouse left the two to talk to each other, as he had requested that Young convince Jackson to commit to the team. “Hey, man,” Jackson said, “I’m never coming here. Just so you know, there’s no f***ing way.”

Scott Brantley, a linebacker out of Florida, told him, “Bo, we’d love to have you. But you do not want to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This place is a f***ing joke.”

Then, in the 1987 NFL Draft, he was selected in the seventh round of the draft with the 183rd pick by the Los Angeles Raiders. He signed a five-year, $7.4 million contract with the team. Bo Jackson was also allowed to play the entire baseball season with the Royals, with whom he signed a three-year, $1.07 million contract. He played in the NFL for four years before sustaining a career-ending hip injury in 1991.