Both NFL and MLB Athletes

Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is actively pursuing a career in professional baseball, his agents told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on what is coincidentally Deion Sanders' birthday. Tebow plans to hold workouts for all 30 MLB teams later this month, Schefter reports. Tebow last played baseball in high school in 2005, but has been training for the past year in the hopes of playing the outfield for a professional team. He has been working out with former MLB catcher Chad Moeller, who called Tebow’s swing impressive and said he believes Tebow has the skill to make it to the majors “relatively quickly.”

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Mar 19, 2014

Both NFL and MLB Athletes

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

George Rose/Getty Images; Damian Strohmeyer

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

V.J. Lovero; Karl Wright/Icon Sportswire

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 from all professional sports.

Chad Hutchinson

Matthew Stockman, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

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.

Russell Wilson

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson participated in the Texas Rangers' spring training in both 2014 and 2015, resuming his baseball career that began in high school, continued in college at North Carolina State and saw him drafted three times. Wilson's rights are owned by the Rangers, but when asked what would happen if he were traded to the Mariners, Wilson said he would "definitely consider" playing. Wilson has made three Pro-Bowls and two Super Bowls in four NFL seasons with Seattle, winning Super Bowl XLVIII.