Let’s take it back. Bo Jackson wasn’t just any athlete; he was a true phenomenon. He’s the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in both Major League Baseball and the NFL.

Ask Riswold to describe how popular Bo was at the height of Nike’s Bo Knows campaign, and this is his startling response. “For awhile, Bo Jackson was bigger than Michael Jordan,” Riswold says.

It is, however, highly likely that you recognize his handiwork. Riswold, who died last month, at 66, was the man behind Nike‘s Air Jordan and “Bo Knows” ads in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

The next scene shows Jackson on the football field, with quarterback Jim Everett confirming, "Bo knows football." Next, the great Michael Jordan states, “Bo knows basketball.” ...

Nike saw Jackson taking over the sports world and, during the 1989 MLB All-Star Game, ran a campaign the sports world would not soon forget. Bo Knows.

Jim Riswold, a visionary and irreverent adman whose playful and occasionally provocative Nike commercials featuring Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Bo Jackson redrew the playing field for product ...