Reader Keith Abernethy suggested I form an All-Star team of major league baseball players who also played in the NFL. I have expanded that to include those ballplayers who played in the NBA.
Here are the two squads. Selections are based not just on the players’ baseball careers (some were very short) but also on their performances in their other sports.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Infield
Catcher, Vic Janowicz — The first Heisman Trophy winner to play in both the NFL and MLB, he logged two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and played halfback for the Washington Redskins.
Multi-talented Chuck Conners (graphic courtesy Odd Sports Stories)
First base, Chuck Connors — Known better for his starring role in TV’s The Rifleman, the 6-foot-6 Connors played 53 games for the Boston Celtics and baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.
Second base, Chuck Corgan — He played for the Brooklyn Robins during the 1925 and 1927 seasons and played football for the Kansas City Blues/Cowboys, Hartford Blues, and New York Giants from 1924 to 1927. He died from cancer in 1928.
Third base, Chuck Dressen — He played primarily for the Cincinnati Reds in his eight-year major league career and later managed the Brooklyn Dodgers. At five-foot-five, Dressen played quarterback for the Decatur Staleys in 1919, the precursor to the NFL’s Chicago Bears, and then joined the NFL’s Racine Legion for two seasons.
Shortstop, Dick Groat — He played for four NL teams and was named the league’s MVP in 1960 after winning the batting title with a .325 average for the World Champion Pirates. A two-time All-American basketball player at Duke University, he played one season as a guard for the Fort Wayne Pistons in the NBA.
Outfield
Jim Thorpe (photo courtesy Bleacher Report)
Jim Thorpe — The Olympic gold medalist played pro baseball, football, and basketball, though football was his most decorated sport. He began his career with the Canton Bulldogs in the inaugural 1920 NFL season and played for six NFL teams. Thorpe played for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston Braves for six MLB seasons.
Deion Sanders — Although he began his MLB career with the Yankees, Sanders spent more time in the National League, chiefly with the Reds and Braves, in his nine-year career. He played in the NFL for 14 seasons, won two Super Bowls, and is in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Brian Jordan — Jordan played three seasons as a defensive back with the Atlanta Falcons. Following his time in the NFL, Jordan played 15 seasons of major league baseball, primarily for St. Louis and Atlanta. He had a lifetime .282 batting average and had more hits (1,454) than any other MLB-NFL athlete.
Pitchers
Gene Conley (graphic courtesy Boston Baseball History)
Gene Conley—The 6-foot-8 Conley played 11 seasons from 1952 to 1963 for four major league teams and played forward in the NBA in the 1952–53 season and from 1958 to 1964. He is among only two people to win championships in two major American sports, one with the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and three Boston Celtics championships from 1959 to 61.
Ron Reed — Reed spent two seasons as a power forward for the Detroit Pistons before deciding to dedicate himself to baseball. The 6-6 righthander spent 19 seasons in the majors, compiling a 146-140 won-loss record and a 3.46 ERA.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Infield
Catcher, Charlie Berry — Berry started his major league career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925 but didn’t return to the majors until after his football career ended, playing for the Red Sox, White Sox, and Athletics. In 1925–26, he starred for the Pottsville Maroons of the NFL, leading the league in scoring in 1925 with 74 points.
First base, Cotton Nash — Nash had a three-year MLB career with the White Sox and Twins. He played collegiate basketball for the University of Kentucky, where he was named a first-team All-American in 1964. He went on to play in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Francisco Warriors during the 1964–65 NBA season.
Danny Ainge (photo, Celtics Blog)
Second base, Danny Ainge — Ainge is the only person named a high school first-team All-American in football, basketball and baseball. While still in college, Ainge played parts of three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was then drafted into the NBA by the Celtics. Ainge is currently the general manager and president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics.
Third base, Drew Henson — Henson played eight games for the Yankees from 2002-2003. The Houston Texans drafted the quarterback in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and played briefly for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
Shortstop, Jim Levey — Levey was a Jewish shortstop who played from 1930 to 1933 for the St. Louis Browns. He also was a halfback for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National Football League from 1934 to 1936.
Outfield
Bo Jackson — The only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star (or All-Pro) in baseball and football, Jackson won the Heisman Trophy in 1985. He played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Raiders and MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, and California Angels. A 1991 hip injury on the gridiron ended his football career, and his baseball career ended in 1994.
George Halas (photo courtesy Facebook)
George Halas—Although he only played 12 games for the New York Yankees in 1919, Halas makes up a huge portion of the Chicago Bears’ history. He founded, coached, played, and picked the team’s colors. He also played defense and offense and handled ticket sales.
Tom Brown — Brown briefly played for the Washington Senators early in the 1963 season and then was a defensive back in the NFL for six seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins.
Pitchers
Dave DeBusschere — Elected to the NBA Hall of Fame and named one of the 50 greatest players in the history of the NBA, DeBusschere also pitched in 1962 and 1963 for the Chicago White Sox. He played 12 years in the NBA for the Pistons and Knicks and was named to eight NBA All-Star teams.
Steve Hamilton — Hamilton was primarily used as a relief pitcher during his 12 MLB seasons. In 421 career games from 1961 to 1972, he had a 40–31 record with 42 saves and a 3.05 earned run average. From 1958 to 1960, he was a power forward/center for the Minneapolis Lakers.
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This column first appeared in The Vacaville Reporter on July 15, 2020.
