Decades ago, Deion Sanders headlined as a two-sport pro star with long careers in the NFL and MLB. This story qualifies as an asterisk in Prime’s illustrious pro sports career.
We’ve seen athletes play two pro sports, but not often. Bo Jackson played for the NFL’s Los Angeles Raiders, as well as for MLB’s Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox. Others, like Tim Tebow (NFL) and Michael Jordan (NBA), also played pro baseball.
But has an athlete ever played two sports on the same day? The answer is “almost,” and that person is Deion Sanders, currently serving as head football coach at the University of Colorado Buffaloes and known as “Coach Prime.” Thirty-two years ago, Sanders played in one pro game (NFL) and almost played in a second (MLB), both on the same day.
For those unfamiliar with Sanders’s incredible athletic career, pro ball came after he had a great college football career at Florida State, playing for Bobby Bowden, who is considered one of the best coaches in college football history. Sanders was also an accomplished college baseball player at FSU, where he played for Mike Martin, another coach who is on his sport’s all-time best list.
As a pro athlete, Sanders began his nearly 20-year award-winning NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1989, and he later played for the Cowboys, 49ers, Ravens, and Redskins. In addition to having a long and distinguished pro football career, Sanders’s baseball career spanned 1989 through 2001, and he played with the Braves, Yankees, Reds, and Giants.
Sanders also made history as a two-sport pro athlete. In 1989, he became the first and only player to score an NFL touchdown and hit an MLB home in the same week.
This story about almost playing two pro sports in one day goes back to 1992. A Falcon back then, on October 11, Sanders played in an afternoon road game against the Miami Dolphins. Baseball’s Atlanta Braves were also on the road that day, playing a night game against the Pirates in a National League Championship Series game. The call came for Sanders to rush to Pittsburgh and suit up for the Braves, which he did.
After landing, Sanders was helicoptered to Three Rivers Stadium, where the Pirates played at the time, and he arrived at the park only 16 minutes before the game’s first pitch. But it was all for naught. Manager Bobby Cox told him he would not be in the starting line-up, and Sanders never entered the game as a pinch hitter/runner or fielder. It was a surprising outcome because Sanders had one of his best pro baseball years in 1992, batting .304 with 8 HRs, 14 triples, and 26 stolen bases.
Sanders is known today for his bombastic style, which is a turnoff to some fans. But fans can’t debate his athletic greatness. With Bo, Prime is among history’s best two-sport pro players.
I remember this. Great article about Deion Sanders and of course a little bit of Bo Jackson. The two best multi-sport stars in my opinion. Thank you Matthew Paris for this article and bringing this info back out. I loved it.