Yes, but it was his MOVIE career that was cut short by injuries to his WIFE.
Add my vote to the Bo Jackson camp- his running over Brian Bosworth was one of the greatest things a kid my age (who couldn’t stand Bosworth) could have ever hoped to see.
Another soccer player, and this one’s probably an equivalent of Ken Griffey Jr., but Ronaldo. His career wasn’t ruined as he’s the all time leading goal scorer in the World Cup, but before he had knee trouble he was the most dominate forward of all time. He never regained his blistering pace and cutting ability, but he was still considered one of the best forwards in the world. He blew out his knee again recently, and while his career was on the downswing, he still had a couple good years left and now it’s unlikely that’ll happen.
Absolutely. He played hurt his entire career and although he played 12 seasons, in fact he only played a full 80 game schedule only once. In his last three years with Chicago he only played in 36 games.
Despite this, he owned or still owns every record by an NHL defenseman.
Ok, how many great athletes retire at or near the top of their game? Damn few.
How many great athletes die early in their careers due to accident or foul play or disease, not related to their sport. Again, damn few.
So I would argue that outside of these few, pretty much EVERY athlete has their careers shortened and ended by injury. One could say age, in many cases, but age is really a substitute for saying an accumulation of injuries.
I say, go with the first – that Greek messenger to (or from?) Marathon who ran 26 miles to deliver a message, and then dropped dead. Class act all the way. 
I suspect Len Bias would have been a great one for the Celtics, but a cocaine overdose means we’ll never know.
I too say** Bo Jackson**.
I would offer these NBA honorable mentions:
Grant Hill. Just a tragedy but I am glad he got paid for his first 6 seasons. He likely would have been a reasonable Hall of Famer & certainly was one of the 5 best NBA players ~1994-2000
Penny Hardaway, from NBA All Start game starter, to juuuust nipped by MJ for the NBA scoring title to a devastating series of knee injuries to just a petered out Career.
**
Ralph Sampson** had other “issues” but really his knee injury is what changed him from a 20 pt. 10 rebound guy and out of the NBA
I’ll go with Orr, as well.
All the Jackson love, which, to a certain extent I share, neglects that fact that Jackson had a skill set (in baseball) that isn’t prone to aging well. His age 27 year, which is normally a batters peak (or the beginning of same) was a good year, with an AVG of .272 and an OPS of .865, but not really a hall of fame-bound event.
Jackson, as a baseball player, was nowhere near HoF bound at the time of his injury (at least in baseball…I don’t follow football enough to comment). He gets a lot of love because when he did something it was SPECTACULAR. No one doubts that. But in terms of being a complete or outstanding player? It just wasn’t there.
Even at the time he wasn’t really seen that way:
1 All Star Appearance
1 Appearance on the MVP Top 10
Grey Ink rating: 22 (Average HOF: 144)
HoF Standard: 9 (Average HoF: 50)
Otherwise, in this debate, we’ll never know. It’d be some kid who was injured in his first year who would have been everything to everyone.
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What in the world is that structure in Canton, then? I mean the rest of the world can call it football but the reality is that it really is just soccer. 
To me, Jackson’s baseball career is as irrelevant as Jordan’s. Bo Jackson’s real sport was football. As a running back, he was a force like no other. If he had concentrated full time on football (and not blown out his hip, of course), he would have broken every record in the book. He had a combination of speed and power that I’ve never seen before or since.
Two words: Herschel. Walker.
It’s a shame he spent his early career in the USFL. He is underappreciated because of it. But since that was a self-inflicted injury, I don’t think it’s what the OP’s looking for. 
Ditto on that one!
And what about Ayrton Senna dying in the San Marino F1. He still had quite a few years on top left in him.
I think he’s talking about that other ‘football’ that we Yanks have only a fleeting appreciation for. The one where they kick a round ball around and try to score goalies or something.
And here was me thinking football should be played with feet.
American Football: that’s the game they carry and throw the ball instead. Maybe they should rename it Carry’n’chuckball
Well that game already exists and goes by the monniker of Smear the Queer, a recess sporting endeavor when I was a lad of tender years. The rules were charmingly simple: you got a football and ran around until you were group tackled then got up, heaved the ball in any which direction and whoever caught it would then run around until subsequently brought down and this you would do as time permitted.
Ahhh… my misspent youth.
Orr’s a good pick, but I think I’d choose Mike Bossy. He scored more than 50 goals per season for 9 seasons straight (a feat achieved by only him and Wayne Gretzky) before a back injury took him out of the game. He scored 50 goals in 50 games. He scored 53 goals as a rookie. He scored 100 goals faster after turning pro than any other hockey player, including Gretzky.
Oh, you mean rugby.
I was going to say Senna too.
Shit, he’d probably still be playing today!
I agree, Bo Jackson, to answer the OP.
Sean Taylor was a hell of a safety, but I’m not sure that being killed is considered an injury.
For safeties in pro football, there’s Jim Hudson. He was the reason why John Mackey, the greatest tight end of his generation, had a mediocre game in Superbowl III (3 receptions for 35 yards).
The next year, Hudson hurt his knee, then tried to come back too soon and wrecked it for good, ending his career.