Bo Jackson and Charles Barkley were larger-than-life figures at Auburn in 1983-84. 0 Shares Print As dynamic duos go, it’s hard to top what Melvin Gordon and Frank Kaminsky accomplished this past season at Wisconsin. Gordon ran his way to a runner-up finish in the Heisman Trophy voting and broke a heap of records along the way, as the Badgers won 11 games and played in the Big Ten championship game. The San Diego Chargers drafted Gordon with the No. 15 pick in May’s NFL draft. On Thursday, Kaminsky is poised to join Gordon in the Badgers’ first-round club. Frank the Tank is projected to go in the top 15 picks of the NBA draft. He’s already the most decorated basketball player in Wisconsin history and swept the national player of the year awards for the 2014-15 season, including the Wooden and Naismith awards. Kaminsky led Wisconsin to a 36-4 record, Big Ten regular season and tournament championships and the school’s first national championship game appearance since 1941. What other football-hoops combos — in the same school year — would compare to Gordon and Kaminsky? We did a little research and ranked our top 10, keeping in mind that this is based on college accomplishments and what that duo achieved in the same football-basketball season. Team success was a major consideration in our selection process, but so was the overall talent of the duo and the mark they left on their respective sports. Here’s what we came up with: 1. Bo Jackson and Charles Barkley, Auburn, 1983-84Jackson didn’t win the Heisman Trophy until the 1985 season, but his sophomore season was equally spectacular. He rushed for 1,213 yards (averaging 7.7 yards per carry) on his way to earning consensus All-America honors and leading the Tigers to an SEC championship and Sugar Bowl victory over Michigan. While the legend of Bo was just beginning, Barkley was carving out his own niche as one of the more intriguing basketball players in decades. The “Round Mound of Rebound” was named SEC Player of the Year as a junior and earned second-team All-America honors. After leading the Tigers to an NCAA tournament appearance, he turned pro and was drafted No. 5 by the Philadelphia 76ers. Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy in 2008 before being the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki2. …
Continue Reading: Auburn’s Bo-Barkley duo tops best football/basketball performances in same year
