12 Most Memorable Moments from the NFL Combine
By Zach Bigalke
Bo Jackson sets 40-yard record… but not officially (1986)
Back in 1986, the NFL Combine was hardly the spectacle that it is three decades later. Yet there was still a palpable buzz around the last Combine held outside Indianapolis. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner showed up in New Orleans and opened the eyes of the football world with a 40-yard time that laid one of the cornerstones of the Bo Jackson legend.
The result from Jackson’s run at the 1986 Combine has been traditionally listed at 4.12 seconds, a number that began being debated almost as soon as it was released. Jackson himself has also claimed being timed electronically at 4.13 seconds, lending credence to the number from New Orleans. Even if this number isn’t perfect, it is still the event that set the 40-yard dash on course to play such a significant role in the event for decades to come.
Jackson was selected first overall by Tampa Bay in the 1986 NFL Draft, but refused to sign with the Buccaneers after he was ruled ineligible to play baseball after a team visit was expensed and never cleared with the NCAA or SEC. Bo went on to play baseball instead, and would land with the Raiders the following season for what ended up a short but electric NFL career.a