Bo Jackson Decathlon

MikeEM wrote:

did high jump higher than 6'9 (by the way the hs record is now 7'7)....didnt triple jump as it wasnt in the decathlon...threw the jav 226' and long jumped just under 25' and ran the 400 in 47....1500 in 4:28....hurdles in 13.9...when i was bo's age i was better than bo in 7 of 10 events....bo's build wasnt suited to multi-events - i was 6-1 and 195 ...some decathletes are taller and heavier but my size was average for decathlon

You were obviously an excellent athlete. Interesting that someone who was a superstar high school all around athlete didn't try triple jump, as that's one of the best events for great explosive athletes, like hurdles. But maybe some people can only do so many things.

Your best sport wasn't football or baseball, was it? You concentrated on being a multi, and you got good enough at it that you were very good. But you weren't the best at anything. Among all the other track guys who specialized in the decathlon, there was still a tier above you. That's not a knock on you. You apparently were very good.

But Bo was a phenom. He hit .400 his junior year and in the fall won the Heisman. He was the best of all those great American college football players. Then he went and played professionally against the best in the world at both baseball and football and was good enough to be an All Star in both sports, something that is so difficult it's never been done before or since.

Since you only played football 8 years, I'll guess you never played professionally. And if you did, were you able to average 5.4 yards per carry over your entire career? Not many men have. You likely never saw the field for an NFL game, where the best American athletes are.

Should I knock you for running the 1500 slower than scores of high schoolers I've coached? Of course not. Like any decathlete, you had to train to maximize points, so you leaned away from optimizing your 1500 so your size and explosive training would benefit more events. You more than anyone should realize that once you focus on certain events, other events have to be somewhat neglected in comparison.

Bo made a choice to pursue the sports professionally that offered the biggest rewards. At those, he was one of the best in the world. There is reason to believe, with much better coaching than he had in high school and with a focus on training as a multi instead of football and baseball, he would have been much better than you (well, maybe not at the 1500). Is that what is eating you?

so money is the measurement of an athlete?...jordan speith made more money than half the nfl this year...so he's a better athlete?...you're an idiot....by the way, 3 billion plus watch the summer games - have you ever thought there are athletes that want to compete for their country and arent focused on money? maybe they are smart enough to make money in other professions? how many people compete in a sport doesnt change the test...the decathlon is a better test of an athlete than golf, right? but more people play golf... more people in the world play soccer than football...so by your words soccer is a better test than football...? i'm saying the decathlon is a better all-around test than anything else out there

MikeEM wrote:

so money is the measurement of an athlete?...jordan speith made more money than half the nfl this year...so he's a better athlete?...you're an idiot....by the way, 3 billion plus watch the summer games - have you ever thought there are athletes that want to compete for their country and arent focused on money? maybe they are smart enough to make money in other professions? how many people compete in a sport doesnt change the test...the decathlon is a better test of an athlete than golf, right? but more people play golf... more people in the world play soccer than football...so by your words soccer is a better test than football...? i'm saying the decathlon is a better all-around test than anything else out there

Pretty much.

Decatheletes are amateurs.

God gave me ability and I tried to maximize it, that's all...thank you for your kind words. I played and liked a lot of sports but thought the decathlon would be the greatest challenge. I loved fball, wrestling, but loved track more.

But ripping my 4:28 was kind of a cheap shot..it's a pretty decent dec 1500...and 9 of the 10 events are speed-based so obviously i'm not doing mileage and focusing on cv like your runners, who aren't throwing a 16-lb shot or running 42" hurdles. My biggest week was 55 miles in the fall...did 48:33 for an 8-mile race once...not incredible but again, most of your training time is on speed/explosion.

all olympians are 'amateurs' idjit..but get paid also..and sponsored..and travel all over the world competing....i just wish i could watch you try one decathlon...because i love comedy.

He didn't rip your 1500.

It IS slow compared to others.

The way you feel is how Bo would respond to idiots like you. Get it?

But please go on with the excuses which you demand early on. "I have done better if I trained more blah blah blah" lol what a hypocrite

MikeEM wrote:

did high jump higher than 6'9 (by the way the hs record is now 7'7)....didnt triple jump as it wasnt in the decathlon...threw the jav 226' and long jumped just under 25' and ran the 400 in 47....1500 in 4:28....hurdles in 13.9...when i was bo's age i was better than bo in 7 of 10 events....bo's build wasnt suited to multi-events - i was 6-1 and 195 ...some decathletes are taller and heavier but my size was average for decathlon

Wow. What's your name? With the marks and just average in other events you'd be at least 8300 pts, probably more and likely an NCAA champion. That javelin is longer than Ashton Eaton's or Trey Hardee's PRs.

And Bo's weight was not that big a deal. A handful of decathletes, including my son*, have been heavier than Bo.

Don't know what MikeEM's deal is. I love "what if" decathlon threads and in those sometimes somebody says Bo (or Hershel or LeBron or Jordan or ...) would have won an Olympic decathlon with a little training. But no one on here said that. They said Bo won a couple high school state decathlons, which he did. They said Bo was an awesome natural athlete, which he was.

Don't know why Mike is being so combative.

Bo was an amazing athlete. His track numbers were awesome for as little focus as he put into it. We don't know what he would have done had he focused on the decathlon. You need great athleticism to get started in decathlon, but once you're in it becomes less and less about natural ability and more on perfecting technique and on mental toughness. So we don't know.

And there are guys like that with freakish numbers numbers from natural talent who come along now and then but don't become famous football players. Like Basil Shabazz, the Arkansas Bo.

*D1 all-american but under 8000 pts. MikeEM would have been well over 8000.

you sound like you know sports, so you have to know that bo wasn't suited for a lot of the decath events besides the 1500...and ive repeated this a bunch but think bo was a great athlete, just had flaws and weaknesses like everyone - the decath makes that clear...20-22 hrs on the track over 2 days - losing 6-8 lbs of water weight...its mentally and physically draining - bo never wouldve made an elite decathlete...it takes more than just speed and power...by the way...bo batted 400 but only 250 in mlb...the higher levels get tougher and tougher...same in decathlon...he won the alabama state hs meet...thats not a big deal in track circles...if he had gone to the golden west meet and won that wouldve been a huge deal

MikeEM wrote:

But ripping my 4:28 was kind of a cheap shot..it's a pretty decent dec 1500.

True. Trey Hardee is one of the best decathletes ever and his 1500 pr is 4:42.

Top decathletes are not masters of mediocrity, Ashton Eaton long jumped farther than any of the long jumpers at the 2012 Olympic Trials and can hold his own in other open competitions, but in the one event, 1500m, they are mediocre compared to open competitors.

Decatheletes are not the best athletes in the world.

MikeEM wrote:

so money is the measurement of an athlete?...jordan speith made more money than half the nfl this year...so he's a better athlete?...you're an idiot....by the way, 3 billion plus watch the summer games - have you ever thought there are athletes that want to compete for their country and arent focused on money? maybe they are smart enough to make money in other professions? how many people compete in a sport doesnt change the test...the decathlon is a better test of an athlete than golf, right? but more people play golf... more people in the world play soccer than football...so by your words soccer is a better test than football...? i'm saying the decathlon is a better all-around test than anything else out there

No, but Bo made more money than you, and he was a much, much better athlete. Is it those two things that are annoying you to no end?

Nice straw man, but I never said money was the measurement of an athlete. But sports are just kids' games, and at some point a man has to provide for his family.

Bo came from poverty. He admits he was a thug and a hell raiser as a kid. But he now lives in a large house in Burr Ridge and sent his children to St. John of the Cross Grade School in Western Springs. His daughter "Mo" sprinted against my daughter. He has accomplished fame, fortune and athletic awards that you could only dream of, and he, unlike you, doesn't spend his time talking about them. He'd rather hunt and parent his children. He came to his kids meets and games, and was polite to anyone who approached him. He just wasn't very interested in talking about himself. It was common to see him shivering in the top row of the stands, hating every minute of the cold Chicago spring.

One story I've been told by more than one John of the Cross parent is that he used to have his three kids work with him at a homeless shelter serving meals to the poor on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Unlike other athletes in the Chicago area, he never told the media he'd be there, and he never acted anything but humble in serving. He would make his kids work hard while they were there, and stay until everything was cleaned up, washed and put away before they would leave.

It seems as though he is a better man than you in more things than just athletics.

Bo Jackson is.

sksksksksmsmsm wrote:

Decatheletes are not the best athletes in the world.

Has anyone in this thread said they were?

and your point is? wrote:

sksksksksmsmsm wrote:

Decatheletes are not the best athletes in the world.

Has anyone in this thread said they were?

Mike did.

About 500 times

i dont think you understand the decathlon - i only gave half of my pr's...how could you come up with a 10-event total based off half the events? and decathletes dont hit all their personal events in a given decathlon - anybody knows that....some decathletes pr totals in the events might be 8400 but their best score is 7800, for example. in 10 events you might get 2-3 pr's and some of your events might be less...it might be windy or raining or 100 degrees - all those effect your score...a 10.70 100 meter runner might run 10.90 into a headwind - in the decathlon that just cost you over 50 points

What is your full name Mike?

most decathletes run between 420 and 450....and i was talking about multi-training vs distance training...and bo wouldnt have trained for the 1500 because his own coach said bo was 'scared' of the 1500 and wanted to skip it...a dude with no self-discipline and that scared isnt ever going to have the nuts to train 11 mths a year and get his big behind out of bed at the crack of dawn

Now I know you are an idiot.

You actually ARE uncle rico!

actually people call the gold medalist in the decathlon The World's Greatest Athlete because 264 nations sent their 3 best and he won the best all-around test of an athlete - with the whole world watching and no excuses -- everyone name for me another event that is DESIGNED to see who is the most versatile?