2009 Topps Magic #19

Type: Base Card
Acquired: Bought Online
I love this card! Again, we have another retro based set, but it works with the Auburn college vibes. The image on the front is classic and unique while the back of the card lacks a bit of what makes other cards great. It does however make up for this by giving us a fresh take on the card back by offering a trivia question, college info from Bo's career as a Tiger and a little map of where Auburn is located in the state of Alabama. Definitely something that I have never seen before on a Bo card! According to the instructions on the card, you are supposed to rub a coin on the bottom of the card to reveal the trivia answer, but I have no intention on doing so. Thanks to the modern convenience of Google, I was able to get an answer to the question of "Who are the only two Auburn players besides Bo (#34) to have their number retired?" The answer...1971 Heisman winner Pat Sullivan (#7) and All-American Terry Beasley (#88).

2010 Panini Threads #12

Type: Insert Card
Acquired: Bought Online
This card has a lot of empty space and I feel my gaze being drawn to it, which is a shame because it's a solid card. The re-use of the same photo on the back seems a bit lazy and the exclusion of any stats is always a negative for me. Not one of my favorite Bo cards, but also not one of the worst.

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes #209

Type: Base Card
Acquired: Bought Online
Here is yet another offering from the 2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes set from 2008. The design for card #209 is exactly the same as the design of card #208. This is expected with a typical card release, but the photos are very similar and almost look like they were taken just seconds apart. Very similar, but different enough to warrant a purchase. I don't say this often, but the back is where I found myself really liking this card. It talks about the Nike "Bo Knows" campaign and the time the Yankees drafted him in the second round MLB draft in 1982. As a NY Mets fan, I am glad he passed on the offer to play for the Yanks and instead chose to go to college at Auburn where he became a legend!

2008 Upper Deck SP Rookie Football #405

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Card Shop

This card is one of my most recent Bo Jackson pick-ups. Myself and the family were vacationing in South Dakota and of course I had to check out the local comic and card shops. I found a few old packs of Topps Traded and of course some Bo Jackson cards. This card is one of my favorites from the 2000's. It features Bo in attack mode on the front and chillin' on the sidelines on the back. It contains Bo's career stats and a brief blurb about his playing career with the Raiders. The real standout on this card though, is the foil etching on the front. It is eye catching and really helps the image pop. Love this card!

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes #208

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This is another offering from the 2008 Upper Deck "Football Heroes" set, but this time we get to take a look at one of the base cards as opposed to the "Checklist" card I highlighted a few weeks back. The design takes us back to the early 90's Upper Deck Football card offerings and that's not a bad thing. Why tamper with a classic design. The photo on the front is solid and I appreciate the info about Bo's college career. A solid effort from Upper Deck all around.

2009 Topps Magic #AA3

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I really like the retro look of this offering from the Topps company. It really fits the vibe they were going for with this vintage style series. The photo of Bo in his Auburn college uniform and the orange & blue color graphics along with the thick almost cardboard stock the used for these cards all fit together nicely to give us Bo collectors a really unique and beautiful looking card. When I saw this online for less than $1, I had to add it to the Bo collection binder!

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes #207

Type: Base Card
Acquired: Bought Online
There have been many "Art Cards" of Bo Jackson over the years. Some have been good and some not so good. This card falls into the excellent category. I know it's just a "Checklist" card, but the artwork on the front by Ken Joudrey is outstanding! Definitely one of the best looking renditions of Bo on canvas in my collection.

1991 Upper Deck #155

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Pulled From Pack

1991 was the premiere of Upper Deck's football card product and they did not disappoint! Upper Deck had a great reputation built on the success of their baseball cards and that carried over to the NFL when they released this set. The design is great and the photography is top notch. The inclusion of another full color photo on the back and full stats make this a fantastic card for any collector to have in their binder.

1991 Topps Stadium Club #462

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Traded With Friend

Topps Stadium Club cards were the cream of the crop in the early 90's. Nothing could rival the UV coating, the premium card stock, foil stamping and high end photography. This card showcases what made these cards so desirable! The minimal graphics on the front don't detract from a solid action shot, the gold foil on the front is a nice touch and The Sporting News report on the back is an excellent addition. The only thing that I really didn't care for about these early Stadium Club cards was the inclusion of the "Rookie Card" shots on the back of the card. Did anyone actually like these?

1990 Topps #522

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I'm pretty sure that I have stated before about my liking this 1990 Topps design and here we have another example. The color scheme really stands out to me and the use of an in game action shot of Bo taking the ball down the field really helps this card standout in my opinion. I also like the previous season scores on the backs of these team cards. I still look at these and see who each team beat and by how much. I love me some Bo Jackson, but it still hurts to see that the Raiders beat my beloved NY Jets by a score of 14-7 in 1989!

1989 Topps #269

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Show

This is a fairly unimpressive card. The shot is okay on the front, but really has no action to it. Bo was known for breaking tackles and smashing opponents, this looks like a practice run before an actual game. The design is bland, but I do have to say that for some reason I do like the green & yellow color scheme on the back of the card. Not the worst Topps card ever made, but also not the most exciting either.

2011 Upper Deck #CO-3

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This card came in a lot of Bo cards that I bought off ebay. I really do like the looks of the front of the card. It is unique in it's style and font, but the back takes this one down a notch. The back photo of Bo had been used multiple times by Upper Deck, there are no stats and the graphics just don't pop. I am usually a sucker for any card of Bo in his Auburn uniform, but this one is low on my like list.

2005 Upper Deck Legends #74

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

A few weeks back I posted a similar card to the blog. That one had ornate shapes carved in each corner and was numbered 1 of 1. I still really have no solid leads on exactly where that card came from! Anyway, this card is the standard issue of that enigma. It is a nice looking card. The photo is nice, the borders are minimal, but still give it a solid look and the back has Bo's complete stats from his years as a baller with the Raiders.

1990 Topps #285

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Card Show

This was the very first Bo Jackson football card in my collection! I had quite a few Bo baseball cards in my collection by 1990, but no football cards. One fateful trip to a flea market in NJ changed all that. My Dad took us and we stopped at all the booths that were selling cards. My brother was collecting Ken Griffey Jr., but I was on the hunt for Bo. One of the tables we went to had a stack of his cards and my Dad gave me and my brother each $10. I bought a lot of cards that day including this first Bo Jackson football card and I can't get enough of the beautiful totally 90's graphics!

1987 Topps #397 (Custom)

Type: Custom Card

Acquired: Bought Online

Here is another great looking custom card that I bought off ebay for a couple bucks. This card serves as a "What If...?" type of card. What if the Bucs didn't screw Bo over? What if he decided to play for the Buccaneers? What if Bo dedicated his career to football? These sadly are all questions that will never be answered, but what we do know is that Al Davis and the Raiders took a chance on Mr. Jackson in the 7th round of the 1987 NFL draft and it was one of the most electrifying careers in the history of the game!

1986 Topps #387 (Custom)

Type: Custom Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This card serves as a proper rookie card for Bo Jackson. You see, back in 1986 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the #1 pick in the NFL draft. They selected Bo Jackson with that #1 pick which was a no-brainer to any NFL fans at the time. Problem was that Bo told them not to pick him. He did not want to play for the Buccaneers after they took him on a trip to their team facilities. The team told Bo that the NCAA had approved the trip, but it turned out that they had never received approval and Bo was banned from finishing his final year of baseball for the Auburn Tigers. No wonder Bo refused to play for the Bucs! It was a wasted pick and the next year Bo was drafted by the Raiders and the rest is history!

2005 Upper Deck NFL Legends Football #74

Type: Numbered Parallel

Acquired: Bought Online

This is another card that I have not found any info about online. It is a die-cut version of the 2005 Upper Deck NFL Legends Football Bo Jackson base card. It is labeled as "1/1" and I have been unable to find any other cards from this set that match this look. I am truly lost on this one, but I believe it was a home made variant. Any info regarding this card would really be appreciated! Besides the bewilderment, this is actually a nice looking card from front to back. 

2011 Press Pass Legends #PP-1

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I loved this card when I first saw it online. Two Auburn greats on one card? Yes, please! I was enthralled by the electrifying play of Cam Newton early in his career. Unfortunately that level of play did not last very long. He is still an NFL quarterback, but I don't believe he will ever reach those highs he had early in his career. I still dig this card due to the collegiate ties and no one can deny the type of player both of these amazing athletes were back when they were in school.

1990 Score #10

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Trade With Friend

This 1990 Score set had some great subset cards of Bo Jackson. I've featured a few of them on this blog like the "Ground Force" & "Record Breakers" cards, but this is the base card from the set. The photo on the front is a little lack luster as it shows Bo either slipping on the turf or being tackled by a gaggle of Bengal defenders. I've noticed that a lot of Bo football cards from around this time feature him running against the Bengals. I wonder why that is? The photo on the back is fine, would have liked to see more stats/info instead of a large helmetless photo. Overall it's a pretty "Meh" card.

1989 ProSet #185

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Trade With Friend

I remember really liking this 1989 ProSet football card set when it was released back in the late 80s, but now not so much. The colors are kind of drab and the design is not very memorable. I do like the photography. ProSet usually has quality photography and this card showcases this. The stats are a highlight and the write-up is nice. The Raiders had some great talent on those late 80s teams with 3 Heisman Trophy winners on the roster. Along with Bo they also fielded Tim Brown & Marcus Allen!