It’s been 10 years since Gus Malzahn and Nick Marshall’s Auburn University football team went 12-2 and played in the BCS National Championship before losing to the Florida State Seminoles. Malzahn struggled to replicate that same success from 2014-2020 and was fired after a six-win season. Auburn never posted a six-win season after Malzahn left, but despite their recent struggles, they remain a storied SEC program with two titles, three Heisman Trophy wins, 27 bowl game wins and eight conference championships.
On Saturday, legendary Heisman Trophy winner and one of the greatest two-sport athletes of all time, Bo Jackson, was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame, adding another chapter to the rich history of Auburn University football.
Jackson, who won the Heisman Trophy with Auburn University football in 1985, played for Major League Baseball’s Royals from 1986-1990 and was voted MVP during the 1989 season. Over the weekend, Jackson received the unwavering endorsement of his alma mater’s longtime football coach and longtime Auburn frontman and current Alabama state senator Tommy Tuberville, who coached at Auburn for more than a decade after Jackson left. But Tuberville’s public endorsement of the former Auburn player comes just four years after several former Tigers players criticized the longtime frontman for running for U.S. Senate and endorsing then-President Donald J. Trump.
Bo Jackson and Tommy Tuberville: The Auburn University Football Connection
From 1982 to 1985, running back Bo Jackson was a star in the Auburn University football backfield. He rushed for 829 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman and was named to the SEC First Team. The following year, he was an All-American and ran 158 times for 1,213 yards and 12 touchdowns, including a 200-yard run against rival Alabama. After an injury-shortened 1984 season, Jackson recorded one of the best seasons in SEC history. He ran for 1,786 yards in 1985 and won the Heisman Trophy for the second time in program history.
Congratulations Bo Jackson When joining @Royals Hall of Fame!
War Eagle https://t.co/8MKyDmlvHK
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) June 30, 2024
Auburn football retired his number in 1992, seven years before the Tommy Tuberville era. Under Tuberville, Auburn regained its place in the SEC, winning nine or more games five times and going an astounding 13-0 in 2004. Jackson and Tuberville did not overlap at Auburn, but Jackson’s representatives actively disassociated themselves from Tuberville when Tuberville was elected in the 2020 election. However, some former Auburn Tigers players have not been shy about speaking out about Tuberville, who was elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama.
Auburn University football player cuts ties with Tommy Tuberville
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One of the most decorated coaches of the early 2000s, Tommy Tuberville has coached some of the best players in Auburn football history. But that doesn’t mean his turn to politics has alienated some, if not most, of his former players. Longtime Auburn player Tommy Jackson publicly criticized Tuberville’s political activism in a 2020 Sportscasting Kyle Dalton article.
“He coached a team with a majority of African-American players. And President Trump has no interest in black men. So for Coach Tuberville to endorse someone like that, what does it say about a man who has always sought to make millions of dollars off the same people the president seeks to ignore and mistreat? It’s shameful. It’s utterly shameful.”
Former Auburn University cornerback Adelai Trone added, “A lot of players are in contact with each other. There are different circles. There’s a majority that are disappointed. A lot of us want to be optimistic that maybe he’ll listen to us if he takes over. We hope he’ll make a case that represents the players that played so hard for him.”Tubberville has led a mostly controversial first term, including withholding the 2022 military pick.
Bo Jackson: Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer
Despite a devastating hip injury that interrupted his professional career, two-sport superstar Bo Jackson was inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame this weekend. A legend known for his incredible moves on the baseball field and soaring home run shots on the diamond, Jackson spent five seasons with Kansas City while also playing as a running back for the Los Angeles Raiders. Jackson made his MLB debut in September of the 1986 season, appearing in 25 games and batting .207.
The Auburn University product made the starting roster the following season and hit 22 home runs in 116 games, but the next three seasons, all with the Royals, saw Jackson establish himself as one of the best five-tool players in the sport, a testament to his unique athleticism.
From 1988-1990, Jackson showcased his versatility by averaging 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, a .496 slugging percentage and a 7.9 WAR in 162 games played, and in 1989 he recorded a career-high 105 RBI and earned MVP votes, while Jackson also rushed for 2,228 yards and 12 touchdowns during that span, highlighting his versatility and leaving a lasting impression on the sports world.
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