Bo Jackson didn’t recognize Pat Dye’s name when the legendary Auburn football coach first introduced himself to Jackson during an in-home recruiting visit, Jackson revealed in an interview for the documentary “Mighty: The Life and Legacy of Pat Dye”.

When Jackson returned home from school and his ensuing baseball practice, he wasn’t shocked to see two strangers talking with his mother at the table.

“It was the big recruiting season and every other day a different coach was at the house,” Jackson recalled in the documentary, which premiered Monday night.

Unfazed by the sight, Jackson continued downstairs to throw his dirty baseball uniform in the wash so that it was ready and clean for his game the following day.

On his heels was one of the visiting men.

“The gentleman walks up to me and calls me Vincent at the time,” recalls Jackson, whose legal first name is Vincent. “He said, ‘Vincent, my name is Pat Dye.’ It was the first time I’d ever heard the name. He said, ‘I’m the new head coach at Auburn.’.”

Not long before Dye’s visit to Jackson’s home, Ken Donahue, an assistant under Alabama’s Bear Bryant, paid Jackson a visit at his high school. And when Jackson asked Donahue if he would have the opportunity to start at Alabama as a freshman, Donahue couldn’t respond in the affirmative.

So when Dye visited the Bessemer, Ala. product, he knew how he had to pitch Auburn.

He said, ‘I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’m just going to tell you like it is. If you tell me that you will consider coming to Auburn, I promise you I will give you every opportunity on the planet to be a starter next year when we open up against Wake Forest.’,” Jackson said, recalling the conversation between he and Dye in his home that day.

“And I put my hand out to shake his hand and I said, ‘I’m coming to Auburn next year.’,” Jackson said.

Dye went on to keep his promise and Jackson started against Wake Forest on Sept. 11, 1982 in a performance that saw the rookie rush for 123 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries as the Tigers went on to beat the Demon Deacons 28-10.

It was the first of many performances that led to Jackson rushing for 829 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman.