Deion Sanders- NFL and MLB star to College Football Coach
Deion Sanders has grabbed headlines following an impressive start as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in the 2023 CFB season. His career has seen him as an accomplished sportsman in various sports and roles.
Sanders was a baseball, football, and track star during his college days. He starred in all three sports and emerged as a professional player in baseball and football. He chose to become a coach for football instilling the same love for sports in young players that he harbors.
Did Deion Sanders play football and baseball at the same time?
In short, yes, Deion Sanders played professional football while juggling his pro baseball career. He had a unique contract arrangement that allowed him to pursue both sports simultaneously. His football contract had been specially negotiated to accommodate dual-sport ambitions.
Sanders was the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, which was around the same time his MLB career began. His football journey comprised many teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. The two-time Super Bowl winner retired from football in 2006, after playing his final season with the Ravens.
In baseball, Sanders had a part-time career that spanned nine years starting in 1989. He had stints with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Fransisco Giants. He briefly played for the Toronto Blue Jays as well before ending his MLB career in 2001.
Sanders had the flexibility to participate in both sports. He could miss the NFL camp and the first few games of the season if he chose to actively engage in MLB. This arrangement even allowed him to make an unforgettable attempt to play professional football and baseball on the same day in 1992.
The attempt was not much of a success as the day ended with the Braves losing 7-1 in Game 5 of the NLCS. However, his dedication and athleticism in both sports was appreciated.
List of players who played football and baseball at the same time
While Coach Prime made history, hitting a home run for the Yankees and scoring a touchdown for the Falcpns in the same week, only a handful of other players have been able to achieve the rare feat of playing both major sports at the highest level.
Name
Baseball team
Football team
Cliff Aberson
Chicago Cubs (1947–1949)
Green Bay Packers (1946)
Red Badgro
St. Louis Browns (1929–1930)
Three teams (1927-1936)
Norm Bass
Kansas City Athletics (1961–1963)
Denver Broncos (1964)
Charlie Berry
Four teams (1927-1938)
Pottsville Maroons (1925–1926)
Larry Bettencourt
St. Louis Browns (1928–1932)
Green Bay Packers (1933)
Lyle Bigbee
Two teams (1920-1921)
Milwaukee Badgers (1922)
George Brickley
Philadelphia Athletics (1913)
Cleveland Tigers (1920)
Tom Brown
Washington Senators (1963)
Two teams (1964–1969)
Garland Buckeye
Three teams (1918–1928)
Two teams (1920–1924)
Bruce Caldwell
Two teams (1928, 1932)
New York Giants (1928)
Ralph Capron
Two teams (1912–1913)
Chicago Tigers (1920)
Jim Castiglia
Philadelphia Athletics (1942)
Three teams (1941–1948)
Chuck Corgan
Brooklyn Robins (1925, 1927)
Three teams (1924–1927)
Paul Des Jardien
Cleveland Indians (1916)
Chicago Tigers (1920)
D.J. Dozier
New York Mets (1992)
Two teams (1987–1991)
Chuck Dressen
Two teams (1925–1931)
Two teams (1920–1923)
Paddy Driscoll
Chicago Cubs (1917)
Two teams (1920–1929)
Ox Eckhardt
Two teams (1932, 1936)
New York Giants (1928)
Steve Filipowicz
Two teams (1944–1948)
New York Giants (1945–1946)
Paul Florence
New York Giants* (1926)
Chicago Cardinals (1920)
Walter French
Philadelphia Athletics (1923–1929)
Two teams (1922, 1925)
Wally Gilbert
Two teams (1928–1932)
Duluth Kelleys (1923–1926)
Norm Glockson
Cincinnati Reds (1914)
Racine Legion (1922)
Frank Grube
Two teams (1931–1936)
New York Yankees (1928)
Bruno Haas
Philadelphia Athletics (1915)
Three teams (1921–1922)
Hinkey Haines
New York Yankees (1923)
Two teams (1925–1931)
George Halas
New York Yankees (1919)
Chicago Bears (1920–1928)
Carroll Hardy
Four teams (1957–1967)
San Francisco 49ers (1955)
Drew Henson
New York Yankees (2002–2003)
Two teams (2004, 2008)
Chad Hutchinson
St. Louis Cardinals (2001)
Two teams (2002–2004)
Bo Jackson
Three teams (1986–1994)
Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1990)
Lefty Jamerson
Boston Red Sox (1924)
Hartford Blues (1926)
Vic Janowicz
Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–1954)
Washington Redskins (1954–1955)
Rex Johnston
Pittsburgh Pirates (1964)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1960)
Brian Jordan
Four teams (1992–2006)
Atlanta Falcons (1989–1991)
Matt Kinzer
Two teams (1989–1990)
Detroit Lions (1987)
Bert Kuczynski
Philadelphia Athletics (1943)
Two teams (1943, 1946)
Pete Layden
St. Louis Browns (1948)
New York Yankees (1948–1950)
Jim Levey
St. Louis Browns (1930–1933)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1934–1936)
Dean Look
Chicago White Sox (1961)
New York Titans (1962)
Waddy Macphee
New York Giants* (1922)
Providence Steam Roller (1926)
Howard Maple
Washington Senators (1932)
Chicago Cardinals (1930)
Walt Masters
Three teams (1931, 1937–1939)
Two teams (1936, 1943–1944)
John Mohardt
Detroit Tigers (1922)
Four teams (1922–1925)
Ernie Nevers
St. Louis Browns (1926–1928)
Two teams (1926–1931)
Ossie Orwoll
Philadelphia Athletics (1928–1929)
Milwaukee Badgers (1926)
Ace Parker
Philadelphia Athletics (1937–1938)
Three teams (1937–1946)
John Perrin
Boston Red Sox (1921)
Hartford Blues (1926)
Al Pierotti
Boston Braves (1920–1921)
Seven teams (1920–1929)
Pid Purdy
Two teams (1926–1929)
Green Bay Packers (1926–1927)
Dick Reichle
Boston Red Sox (1922–1923)
Milwaukee Badgers (1923)
Deion Sanders
Four teams (1989–2001)
Four teams (1989–2005)
Johnny Scalzi
Boston Braves (1931)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1931)
Red Smith
New York Giants* (1927)
Five teams (1927–1931)
Evar Swanson
Two teams (1929–1934)
Three teams (1924–1927)
Jim Thorpe
Three teams (1913–1919)
Multiple teams (1920–1928)
Andy Tomasic
New York Giants* (1949)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1942, 1946)
Luke Urban
Boston Braves (1927–1928)
Buffalo All-Americans (1921–1923)
Joe Vance
Two teams (1935–1938)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1931)
Ernie Vick
St. Louis Cardinals (1922–1926)
Two teams (1925–1927)
Tom Whelan
Boston Braves (1920)
Two teams (1920–1921)
Mike Wilson
Pittsburgh Pirates (1921)
Two teams (1922–1924)
Hoge Workman
Boston Red Sox (1924)
Two teams (1924, 1931–1932)
Ab Wright
Two teams (1935, 1944)
Frankfort Yellow Jackets (1930)
Tom Yewcic
Detroit Tigers (1957)
Boston Patriots (1961–1966)
Russ Young
St. Louis Browns (1931)
Dayton Triangles (1925)
Joe Zapustas
Philadelphia Athletics (1933)
New York Giants (1933)
A brief look at Deion Sanders' MLB career and stats
Deion Sanders is known for his incredible versatility in both baseball and football. He had a notable career in the MLB spanning from 1989 to 2001. He played for several teams in his decade-long career including the Reds, Giants, Braves, and Yankees.
He played 641 games, accumulating 2,23 at-bats, scoring 308 runs, and collecting 558 hits. Sanders also demonstrated his speed with 186 stolen bases and displayed power with 39 home runs.
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