The incredible act of juggling between MLB and NFL: Looking back at Deion Sanders' exceptional run in football and baseball

Deion Sanders will always be remembered for not only playing in both the NFL and MLB, but putting up solid numbers in both. While he has pursued a post-career gig in football coaching at the college level, baseball has always been special to the super-athlete.

Sanders began getting serious notice during his high school days in Fort Myers in the 1980s. In his senior year, an All-American distinction paved the way for future success at the University of Florida

Sanders became draft-eligible after his graduation and to say that he drew interest from a host of MLB and NFL teams would be an understatement. Pundits across the entire North American pro sports world knew that this young man would be exceptional.

Although Sanders was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1985, he chose not to sign with them, opting instead to attend college. In 1989, he was invited to attend the New York Yankees' training camp after the team took notice of his stats at FSU.

Eventually, it was the Atlanta Falcons that were the first NFL team to court the young stud. The Falcons took the cornerback fifth overall after he ran 4.20 and 4.29 at that year's NFL combine.

"In 1992 Deion Sanders posted (92) Hits....and led the NL in Triples (14)" - @ Old Time Hardball

Sanders played for the Yankees from 1989 to 1990, hitting .234 and .158 respectively. He only managed to hit five home runs in 71 games, which led to the Yankees placing him on waivers in 1991.

Prior to the 1991 MLB season, Sanders was still playing for the Falcons. He signed with the Atlanta Braves to make it easier for him to split his time between the NFL and MLB.

As far as Deion Sanders' baseball career went, 1992 yielded the best results. That year, he hit .304 with eight home runs, 28 RBIs and a league-best 14 triples. That very same year with the Falcons, he led the NFL in kickoff return yards with 1,067.

"Deion Sanders once hit a home run in the MLB and scored a NFL touchdown in the same week" - @ Baseball

In 1994, the Braves traded Deion Sanders to the Cincinnati Reds for Roberto Kelly. Sanders was traded to the San Francisco Giants the following year, retiring from baseball in 2001. He missed the 1996, 1998 and 1999 MLB seasons, choosing to go all-in with his football career.

As much as he loved baseball, football was always Sanders' true calling. By the time he retired, Sanders had six Pro Bowl designations and a couple of Super Bowls to his name. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2011, immortalizing his name forever.

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Deion Sanders set a standard that few will be able to duplicate

While a few other uber-athletes have found themselves on both an NFL and MLB field, the list is small, and will only dwindle in coming years. Moreover, when PED usage was commonplace around baseball, Sanders stayed clean and had some magnificent results to show for it.