The First Bo Jackson Baseball Cards -- Part of the 1986 Rookie Card Class

When Bo Jackson came out of Auburn University in 1986, collectors didn't quite know what to think of him ... but we did know that we couldn't wait to get our hands on his first baseball cards.

Jackson, after all, was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and was the first overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft, selected by the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bo, though, told the world that he was going to pursue baseball, not football.

The potential riches on the diamond were too much to ignore, and the potential risks on the gridiron were to steep to take.

Problem was, Jackson was little but a raw talent in baseball, so he faced a steep climb to make it to the Major Leagues.

Still ...

Bo was maybe the greatest athlete any of us had ever seen, so if anyone could make it work, it would be him.

And then there was always the chance that he'd return to football, too. Could we have a two-sport athlete on our hands?

Only Bo knew for sure at that point, but fans and collectors alike drooled at the possibilities.

We were hungry for his debut baseball cards, too, and we got our first glimpse that summer courtesy of a couple of minor league issues.

But then Bo did the impossible and made his Big League debut with the Kansas City on September 2, 1986.

That ripped the cardboard restrictor plates off his hobby prospects and made him prime material for the end-of-year sets from the major card manufacturers.

They didn't disappoint.

Here, then is a rundown of the Bo Jackson baseball cards issued during his inaugural season of 1986.

1986 Donn Jennings Southern League All-Stars Bo Jackson

In the 1980s, Donn Jennings was a baseball card dealer with ties to the Huntsville Stars.

In fact, he would become a co-owner of the team from 1994-2001.

Before that, though, he produced his own set of Southern League All-Stars starting in ... drumroll please ... 1986.

Is it a coincidence that this set came into existence at the same time as Bo Jackson's baseball career?

Hmmm.

1986 Donruss Highlights Bo Jackson

In the fall of 1986, for the second year in a row, Donruss rolled out a set of 56 "Highlights" cards.

They took full advantage of their presence in the postseason market to squeeze in a Bo Jackson card.

The highlight?

Bo smacked a 475-foot home run, longest in the the history of Royals Stadium to that point.

Perhaps the most jarring part about this card is reading that the Royals' home was only 14 years old when the Donruss Highlights set was issued.

There also is a variation of this card that shows "Highlights" in white, and it's quite a bit more scarce than the normal version.

1986 Donruss "The Rookies" Bo Jackson

Like Jennings before them, Donruss rolled out a new set just in time to capture Bo Jackson during his rookie year.

Was it a coincidence that "The Rookies" debuted along with Jackson?

Probably, since Wally Joyner and Jose Canseco were the super-duper rookies that summer, but Jackson helped drive sales and made for a successful premiere of what would become a Donruss staple.

1986 Memphis Chicks Gold Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson had a brief minor league stint with the Chicago White Sox in 1991 as he moved between football and baseball, but for thousands of fans, he will forever be remembered as a Memphis Chick.

All during that summer while we waited for him to make his Big League debut, we'd catch glimpses of Bo doing something ridiculous in the minors, and it was always accomplished in the red, white, and blue of the Chicks.

This card is essentially the "home" card, showing Jackson in a white uniform with "Chicks" on the chest ...

1986 Memphis Chicks Bo Jackson Silver

... and this is the road equivalent: Bo in road grays with "Memphis" on the chest.

And this was the first up-close cardboard appearance of the biceps that frightened men, women, and children at ballparks across the south.

1986 Sportflics Rookies Bo Jackson

All-in-all, Sportflics were pretty much a bust.

The Magic Motion didn't work well, you couldn't see what was happening behind that grooved plastic covering, and that grooved plastic covering cracked if you looked at it.

But, hey ... at least they had pictures on the backs of cards.

And a Bo Jackson rookie card.

1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson

By the fall of 1986, Topps was an old hat at releasing 132-card Traded sets.

So it was no big deal to work in Bo Jackson among studs like Canseco, Joyner, and ... Kurt Stillwell.

But even side-by-side with those big boys, a smiling head-and-shoulders Bo Jackson against a blue background quickly became a hobby classic.

1986 Topps Traded Tiffany Bo Jackson

Same hobby classic as the base 1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson card, except with creamy white stock and glossy glossed gloss covering. All of that premiumness ratchets up the Tiffany's value, even today.