Ah Larry Kennan. After getting his autograph sometime ago, I realized I didn’t get Larry’s autograph on this lone World League card in the Pro Set Series II insert set.
Kennan coached at the University of Incarnate Word for 4 seasons, compiling a record of 20-48 from 2014-2017. He’s retired and as of 2020 lives in San Antonio, Texas.
He responded to my request for his autograph in a very short amount of time and wrote on my letter, “My pleasure”. I had to do the digging for Larry’s address on my own, and was very surprised after getting a hit on him, that other people contacted me for his address as well.
CARD: Action Packed 1990 ACQUIRED: 2022, In Person Signing
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Bo Jackson was a tremendously talented athlete, being selected first round by the New York Yankees (1982) before he even hit college.
Opting to go to Auburn, Bo went hog wild as a RB running for 4,303 yards over his college career.
He was also an accomplished track and field star.
After winning the Heisman Trophy, he’d be selected in the first round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bo refused to sign with the team, citing that they attempted to sabotage his budding baseball career.
He’d sign instead with the Kansas City Royals- who selected Bo in 1986.
While playing with the Royals, the Bucs gave up on Jackson, relinquishing his rights.
Bo was then drafted again- this time by the Los Angeles Raiders, in the 7th round of the ’87 NFL Draft.
After a bit of arm twisting and fan service, Bo signed with the Raiders, with the understanding that the team would not interfere with his baseball career.
Bo for the next 4 seasons would miss training camp and 6-9 weeks while he was wrapping up his baseball commitments with the Royals.
In his rookie year, he quieted doubters with a sensational MNF performance where he ran over the Seattle Seahawks and Brian Bosworth for a then Raider record 221 yards rushing.
He had 81 carries for 554 yards and a whopping 6.8 yards per carry and a 91 yard TD in 1987.
In 1989, Bo ran for a career high 973 yards and a 92 yard TD.
By this point Bo was becoming a multi sport star and one of the major darlings of sports marketing.
In 1990, he returned again to the Raiders, and helped galvanize the team to the playoffs, bursting for an 88 yard TD and 698 yards on 125 carries.
That year he became the first athlete to be named to both the Pro Bowl and the All-Star Game.
During the playoffs against the Bengals, Bo was tackled from behind where he suffered a hip injury that was later determined to be a career ending injury to his football career.
Bo was cut by the Royals soon thereafter, signing with the Chicago White Sox.
He’d be exclusively a baseball player and a DH, before spending his entire 1992 season rehabbing from the hip injury.
Bo played a final season for the California Angels in 1994- retiring after the season was ended due to a strike, to spend more time with his family.
ACCOLADES:
Heisman Award 1985
Pro Bowl 1990
Auburn #34 retired
College Football Hall of Fame
AL All-Star 1989
All-Star Game MVP 1989
1990 Pro Bowl (reserve)
NOTES:
Bo, is of course, fondly remembered by fans of Tecmo Bowl for being an unstoppable force in the game. When my friends and I played, and one of us was the Raiders, about the only way to stop him was to actually select Bo’s run play on every play of the game, lest you take a chance that he runs for a TD on you on the one play you forgot to.
Outside of what media he already appeared in before he retired, Bo’s done a lot of stuff since retirement otherwise, dabbling in TV and commercials. He loves to do archery, and donates and raises a lot of money for charity.
I spent the most money ever on getting an in person autograph of Bo Jackson. I’m not sure what I was expecting. To him it was a transaction but to me I wanted it to be an experience. I guess I was ultimately disappointed.
My friend Jeff and I bought tickets to the event at Barton Creek Mall. We thought it’d be in a retail outlet, but instead it was in an open area where tables and memorabilia had been set up in the mall.
Once Bo sat down, he didn’t really have much to say, rushing us through, even telling Jeff he should have his items ready to be signed when he walked up. Later when I went through the line and got his autograph, he took the card of the guy in front of me and slightly bent it intentionally while he was talking to him before he signed it. Thankfully since I had a stiff Action Packed card, he didn’t have a chance to do the same thing for me.
Unfortunately Bo remains a strong set need for me, as I need him in multiple sets.
Yes! At long last another retry reply in Jessie Hester. Jessie was one of my very first failures from way back in 2010. I thought that I had sent to him multiple times in between 2010 and 2022, but apparently I had not. He had some great cards that I appealed to, especially the classic shot of him from Pro Set’s 1990 Update. (An Action Packed 1992 and Pro Set 1991 were sacrificed to the mail gods in the previous attempt.) The Gameday and the Skybox cards over the year became particular set needs and all of them are welcome additions to the collection.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
