Potential

Jackson was the rare athlete who possessed the power, speed and skill to not just play professionally in two sports but be a star in both. He won the 1985 Heisman Trophy as a senior at Auburn and was selected at No. 1 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1986. He refused to play for the Bucs and wound up with the Oakland Raiders a year later. By then he was in his second pro baseball season with the Kansas City Royals. Jackson played both sports from 1987 to 1990, and he was an All-Star outfielder in 1989 and a Pro Bowl running back in 1990.

Reality

Jackson's baseball commitment cut into his football production, but worse, a hip injury ended his NFL career after just four seasons and shortened his baseball career. After the injury, Jackson managed to play in parts of three more baseball seasons. He was 31 when he played his last game as a pro athlete, leaving us to wonder what could have been if he'd stayed healthy or focused on one sport.