Did Deion Sanders play football and baseball at the same time? Colorado HC's wild sports career revisited

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.