Bo Jackson 1989 AL MVP

Lore & Background

When the Royals selected Bo Jackson with the second overall pick in the 1986 draft, they were not just picking a baseball player; they were picking a once-in-a-generation athlete out of the University of Alabama. By 1989, Jackson had already established himself as a power/speed outfielder in Kansas City, and the front office made the extraordinary decision to let him suit up for the Los Angeles Raiders in the NFL during the same baseball season. The resulting split schedule meant Jackson played a reduced number of games, but when he was in the box, the energy in the ballpark was unlike anything the Royals had seen since George Brett's peak years.

The 1989 season became a national spectacle. Sports Illustrated covers, late-night television segments, and a generation of young fans in Kansas City who had never seen a two-sport star at their local ballpark all converged on the Royals' schedule. Jackson's speed around the bases and his raw power made him a highlight-reel presence even in a limited role, and the club leaned into the novelty, selling special merchandise and promoting his dual-athlete status as a unique selling point for the franchise.

By the early 1990s, the physical toll of splitting two professional sports took its toll, and Jackson's time with the Royals wound down. He left Kansas City in 1991, and the club eventually moved on. But for a brief, electric window, the Royals were the home team of the most physically gifted athlete in American sports, and that memory still colours how fans talk about the late-'80s era of the franchise.

In Their Own Story

The August evening air over the Royals' home diamond smelled of cut grass and hot pretzels. Somewhere in the upper deck, a kid in a faded '85 championship jersey pointed down at the outfield and whispered, 'That's him. That's Bo.' The crack of his bat echoed off the brick wall, and for a half-second the whole ballpark held its breath. He was running the bases like a man who had spent the previous Sunday blocking for a running back in Oakland. The crowd roared—not the polite applause of a routine single, but the full-throated, standing ovation of people who understood they were watching something that would never happen again. In the dugout, the manager just shook his head and smiled, knowing the kid in the stands would remember this night for the rest of his life.

Reader's Guide

The 1989 AL MVP was won by Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles, not by Bo Jackson. This is a common misconception that circulates in fan forums and casual conversation, so it bears correcting clearly.

What Jackson DID do in 1989 was something arguably more remarkable in the public imagination: he played Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals and NFL football for the Los Angeles Raiders in the same calendar year, becoming the last player to do so. The Royals managed his workload, giving him a reduced game schedule so he could also suit up in Oakland.

To the Royals fanbase, Jackson's 1989 season represents the franchise at its most culturally electric in the late '80s. After the 1985 title, the team was in a transitional phase, and Jackson's presence gave the club a marquee star and a national media story that few other teams could match. It mattered less to the standings and more to the identity: for one summer, the Royals were the home of the most physically gifted athlete in America, and that narrative still resonates with fans who were kids in the stands that year.

Did You Know?

• Bo Jackson was the last player in North American professional sports to play both Major League Baseball and the NFL in the same season (1989), a feat that has not been replicated since.
• The Royals drafted Jackson with the 2nd overall pick in the 1986 amateur draft, selecting him out of the University of Alabama.
• Jackson's two-sport 1989 season made him a global media phenomenon, but the physical toll contributed to a series of injuries that shortened his prime playing years.
• The 1989 AL MVP actually went to Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles; Jackson's season, while historic, did not earn him the individual award.