John McDonough/Icon SMI

Bo Jackson entered pro football with 22 home runs and 158 strikeouts, which meant absolutely nothing in the NFL.

November 1, 1987: Although he was selected with the number-one overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bo Jackson hadn't suited up as a football player for more than a year. Tonight he was about to get his start, becoming one of history's most famous multi-sport athletes and a pop culture icon.

The Bucs didn't want their highly coveted selection to injure himself playing another sport and forbade him from playing hardball for Auburn. Jackson responded to Tampa's ultimatum by signing with the Kansas City Royals instead. He hadn't signed with a team by the 1987 draft. As a result, his name went back into the amateur pool. Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis made a shrewd move (yes, he used to do these things) by selecting Bo with the 183rd overall pick, then signing him to a contract that would allow him to play baseball yet get paid like a starting running back once the MLB season was over.

The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner had a middling rookie season with the Royals, posting a .235 batting average but flashing some power with 22 homers. He'd called football his "hobby" once, now it was time to see how that would compare to his main profession on the field. The Raiders were visiting the Patriots in Foxboro, and would run as a second back behind Marcus Allen as a "second-string" player. The Silver and Black lost that day in a last-second heartbreak loss, 26-23. And Bo's line wasn't particularly impressing, gaining 37 yards on eight carries. However, a mere 29 days later he'd carry the ball for 229 yards, a Monday Night Football record that still stands (and perhaps the reason for his enshrinement in the Sports Videogame Hall of Fame.