Athletes Who Played in MLB and the NFL

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Feb 7, 2013

Athletes Who Played in MLB and the NFL

Doug Flutie

After winning a Heisman Trophy and making a Pro Bowl, Doug Flutie has set his sights on an achievement of a different variety. The retired quarterback will compete on MLB Network's <italics>The Next Knuckler</italics>, a reality show in which former Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield teaches a group of former college and NFL quarterbacks to throw his famous knuckleball. The competitor who shows the most promise will get an invitation to try out for the Arizona Diamondbacks at spring training. Flutie's attempt to add knuckleballer to his resume got us to thinking of other football-baseball dual-sport athletes since 1970.

Bo Jackson

In 1987, Bo Jackson became the first MLB and NFL player since the 1960s when the Heisman Trophy winner played for the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Royals. The dual-sport experiment worked well as Jackson became the first athlete to be named an All-Star in both sports. Jackson's versatile success spawn the famous Nike ad campaign "Bo Knows," which featured Jackson trying his hand at a variety of other sports.

Deion Sanders

Two years after Bo Jackson made his multi-sport debut, Deion Sanders matched him, playing for the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Falcons. Prime Time kept his two-sport career going without breaking down, playing baseball until 2001 and football until 2005. Sanders achieved far greater success on the gridiron, earning eight All-Pro selections, but did lead the National League in triples in 1992 with 14. He also won two Super Bowl rings and played in the 1992 World Series.

Brian Jordan

Unlike Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, who played both baseball and football simultaneously, Brian Jordan began his career in the NFL while working his way through the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league program before switching to the MLB exclusively. Jordan made his NFL debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 1989, and had his most successful season in 1991, when he led the Falcons in tackles and was named an alternate to the Pro Bowl. After Jordan reached the majors at the start of the 2002 season, the Cardinals gave him a new contract to give up football. In his 15-year baseball career, Jordan hit above .300 twice and made the 1999 All-Star Game.

Drew Henson

Coming out of college, Drew Henson opted for baseball, signing a contract with the Yankees to forego the NFL. However, after six years in the Yankees' and Reds' organizations with only nine at-bats to show for it, the third baseman jumped back to the NFL as a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Henson saw little more success in the NFL, tossing just 18 pass attempts for the Cowboys, spending a year in NFL Europe and parts of the next two season on the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad. Henson finally caught on with the Detroit Lions in 2008 but attempted just two passes for them while fumbling twice. He is now retired for all professional sports.

Chad Hutchinson

The former Stanford Cardinal dual-sport athlete first pursued his baseball dreams and reached the majors in 2001 with the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a short-lived career in the majors as he gave up 11 earned runs in just four innings over three relief appearances. After switching back to quarterback, Hutchinson started nine games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2002, throwing seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Cowboys released Hutchinson in 2004, but he signed with the Chicago Bears, starting five games after Rex Grossman suffered an ankle injury.

D.J. Dozier

D.J. Dozier spent his first four years after college in the NFL, playing running back for the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions. Although he never got more than 69 carries in a season, Dozier averaged 4.0 yards per carry and had five rushing touchdowns his rookie year in 1987. Dozier signed a minor-league contract with the New York Mets in 1990 before getting called up to the majors in 1992. Dozier's career in the majors lasted just 25 games, in which he hit .191 with two RBI. <italics>(Send comments to siwriters@simail.com)</italics>