Deion Sanders worked to help 2 teams, baseball, football
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In the middle of a 1988 hometown feature on his work with the Florida State football team and his upbringing, talk turned to Deion Sanders' work in another sport, baseball.
Sanders also played on the Florida State baseball team and, like in football, he showed great potential, The Fort Myers News-Press wrote.
"He's the fastest man I've ever seen on a baseball field," Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin told The News-Press then. "If he were to take up baseball full-time, he would become a Vince Coleman or Willie McGee type of impact player."
Sanders never took up baseball full-time. He did keep it up, though, along with football. Sanders went on to become an outspoken star in both sports. He'd make the majors over a total of nine seasons. He made the NFL over 14.
His work in football eventually earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sanders' pro careers began in 1988, taken by the Yankees in the 30th round of the baseball draft and then by the Atlanta Falcons fifth overall in the 1989 NFL draft, out of Florida State. He was also known by the nicknames as Neon Deion and Prime Time.
Sanders started with the Yankees between rookie Gulf Coast League, single-A Fort Lauderdale and AAA Columbus, playing 28 total games in 1988. He then played 1989 at AA Albany-Colonie and back at Columbus.
He also made his major league debut with the Yankees, seeing 14 games. He then started his pro football career with the Falcons, signing a $4.5 million contract. He saw 15 games that fall. He would then continue with the Yankees the next year.
"Everything was accepted," Sanders told The Associated Press of leaving the Yankees to play football. "They knew this situation, they knew it was going to come and everything's OK."
In football, Sanders played with the Falcons over five seasons, then moved to the 49ers for a season and the Cowboys for five. He won all-pro honors eight times. He then played for the Redskins in 2000 and returned in 2004 and 2005 with the Ravens.
He's since continued his work in football, serving as the head coach at the University of Colorado starting in 2023 and continuing in 2025.
In baseball, he saw the Yankees for another 57 games in 1990, along with 22 at Columbus. But a dispute with the Falcons over his intended dual role, along with low batting average, led to the Yankees to release him that September.
He then moved to the Braves, playing both football and baseball in the same town for the next three seasons plus. He saw 54 games in 1991, then 90-plus games in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
Sanders also accompanied the Braves into the postseason in 1992 and 1993, even flying between cities one day to be available to both the Braves and Falcons.
"People around the country talk about how negative it is I'm playing two sports," Sanders told Newsday in October 1992. "I do it because I can help two teams. I don't need no publicity. My contract with Nike is set."
Sanders moved to the Reds mid-1994, then to the Giants mid-1995. He didn't play baseball in 1996 and returned to the Reds for 1997. He saw 115 games for the Reds that year and hit .273. He skipped three seasons and returned for 32 final games with the Reds in 2001.
Overall, Sanders saw 641 major league games over nine seasons, with a career batting average of .263. He also stole 186 bases.
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- Fort Myers News-Press, Jan. 24, 1988: Sanders
- Stuart News, Sept. 8, 1989: Deion Sanders gets his wish with new contract
- Fort Myers News-Press, Newsday, Oct. 22, 1992: Sanders answers criticism
Made the Majors:1,466-31.8%-X
Never Made Majors:3,142-68.2%