Vincent Edward Jackson was born on November 30, 1962 and gained fame as a running back for the Auburn Tigers football team. He also played baseball and achieved more public notice by playing in both the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
The bronze statue is one and one-half times life size, which would make it between 9 and 10 feet tall. It weighs 1,900 pounds. It is mounted on a marble plinth on a stone and brick pedestal outside gate 5 on the east side of the stadium. The statue shows Jackson dressed in his Auburn football uniform. He is carrying a football in his left hand. The statue does not have a helmet so fans can see his face. It was created by Ken Bjorge of Montana in 2011, although the setting in place and the dedication took place in 2012.
At the ceremony, Bo Jackson had these comments:
"Jackson spoke to the crowd the way Coach Pat Dye taught him to--from the heart.
"I don't write speeches," Jackson said. "I learned something from a great man that I met over 30 years ago. You just speak from your heart, and that's what I do."
Jackson talked about how he grew and matured during his four years at Auburn, when he played three sports and rewrote the record books.
"When I came here in 1982, I was a young, immature kid," Jackson said. "Four years later, I left here a respectable young man. I didn't do that on my own."
Jackson talked about his teammates and got emotional remembering the impact of his roommate, former running back Tommy Agee, who could not be at Saturday's ceremony due to the death of his mother.
"If I wasn't here right now," Jackson said, "I'd be with my roommate."
Jackson talked about his former teammates and coaches, Sewell Hall dorm counselors Rusty and Sallie Dean, former trainer Herb Waldrup and his wife, Jean, and longtime Auburn recruiting coordinator Sue Locklar.
"We didn't get where we are by ourselves," Jackson said.
Jackson said his proudest moment as an Auburn Tiger came shortly after Auburn's historic 1982 Iron Bowl win over Alabama, when his iconic goal-line dive ended a nine year drought against the Crimson Tide. It came when he found his mother in the crowd after the game at Legion Field.
"Hugging my mother and listening to the fans thank her for allowing me to come to Auburn was probably my most memorable moment at Auburn," Jackson said.
Jackson told the crowd to remember what makes Auburn special.
"When you put on that t-shirt or sweatshirt that says `Auburn Family, All In," wear it with pride," he said. "We are all family here."" source: (
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Photos of the ceremony, including one of Jackson standing on a platform next to the statue, can be found at (
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