» June 7, 1986: University of Arkansas's Jeff King, The Sporting News college player of the year, is the first choice in the June draft. The Pirates take the third baseman. U. of Texas P Greg Swindell is the next pick by Cleveland. Neither will sign for six weeks but Swindell will be in the major leagues after going 2–1 in the minors. The Giants take UNLV's Matt Williams with the 3rd pick; Texas, picking 4th, selects Kevin Brown, followed by high schooler Kent Mercker (Braves), Gary Sheffield (Brewers) and Brad Brink (Phillies). After being skipped over because scouts are convinced the Heisman Trophy winner is headed to the NFL, Bo Jackson is taken in the 4th round by the Royals. College Pitcher of the Year Mike Loynd is taken by Texas in the 7th Round. A total of 331 high schoolers are drafted, the most since 1979, due mainly to the dissolution of the January draft.

» June 21, 1986: Bo Jackson, college football's Heisman Trophy winner in 1985 and the first pick (by Tampa Bay) in the NFL draft, stuns observers nationwide by signing with the Kansas City Royals instead.

» June 30, 1986: Bo Jackson makes his professional baseball debut with the Memphis Chicks and goes 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.

» September 14, 1986: Bo Jackson slugs his first ML home run—a 475-foot blast believed to be the longest to date at Royals Stadium—as Kansas City downs Seattle 10–3.

» July 11, 1989: Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs lead off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs off Rick Reuschel to spark the American League to a 5–3 win in the All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium. Jackson earns MVP honors.

» September 3, 1989: It is 100 degrees in Texas and the Royals and Rangers are equally hot as seven batters get hit by pitches, the 3rd time this century this has happened, as notes historian Joe Dittmar. The Royals put the game out of reach with a 3-run homer by Bo Jackson in the 7th to win, 13–2. When Mike MacFarlane is plunked in the 8th, the 5th Royal hit, he rushes the mound and tackles reliever Craig McMurtry.

» July 15, 1990: At New York, Bo Jackson slugs three straight home runs, the 3rd his career 100th, then separates his shoulder in the 6th inning diving for a line drive off the bat of Yankee Deion Sanders. Sanders ends up with an inside-the-park home run but Kansas City takes home a 10–7 win. Jackson will be out for six weeks.

» August 26, 1990: In his first game after six weeks on the disabled list, Bo Jackson homers in his first at bat, off Randy Johnson, to tie a major-league record with four consecutive homers. Bo adds a single and double as KC rolls by Seattle, 8–2.

» January 13, 1991: While playing for the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, Bo Jackson suffers a career-threatening injury in an AFC playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Originally diagnosed as a pulled thigh muscle, the Kansas City Royals learn of the severity of the injury just as spring begins. They will release Jackson shortly after, fearing that his baseball career is over, and he'll sign with the White Sox.

» April 3, 1991: The White Sox sign former Royal Bo Jackson to a contract which could earn him more than $8 million over three years if he is healthy.

» September 2, 1991: Three months after an operation that replaced a vein in his arm with one from his leg, White Sox pitcher Roberto Hernandez holds the Royals hitless for six innings before Bill Pecota leads off the 7th with a double, the only hit Hernandez allows in Chicago's 5–1 win over KC. In the same game, Bo Jackson makes his miraculous return to the majors following a career-threatening football injury. He hits a sacrifice fly to drive in a run against his former team. Bo will end the year hitting .225 in 23 games, with three homers and 14 RBIs.

» September 3, 1991: Three months after undergoing eight 1/2 hours of surgery to remove two blood clots from his right forearm, White Sox rookie Roberto Hernandez makes his ML debut, limiting the Royals to one hit in seven innings. The Sox win, 5–1. The other medical story in the game is the return of Bo Jackson, following his hip transplant surgery. Bo is hitless.

» September 6, 1991: The White Sox score 10 runs in the 4th inning of a game against the Royals, all with two outs. Chicago wins by a score of 11-2. Bo Jackson drives in three runs with his first two hits since returning from a serious hip injury. Slugger Frank Thomas receives a mauling, bruising his wrist in a 2nd inning collision with Terry Shumpert, then chipping two front teeth when his is hit in the mouth with a ball thrown by pitcher Charlie Hough. Hough gets a throwing error on the toss.

» April 4, 1992: Chicago White Sox OF Bo Jackson undergoes hip–replacement surgery. He suffered the injury in an NFL game in January of 1991.

» April 9, 1993: Chicago's Bo Jackson homers on his 1st swing after coming back from hip replacement surgery. The White Sox, however, lose to the Yankees, 11-6.

» January 31, 1994: The Angels sign free agent OF Bo Jackson.

» June 7, 1994: Toronto defeats Chicago, 9-5, stopping Wilson Alvarez's winning streak at 15 games. Bo Jackson drives home all five of the White Sox runs. Alvarez falls two short of the American League record held jointly by Johnny Allen and Dave McNally.