The 3 Best NFL/MLB Players of All Time

[luv]

Who would you choose (probably a silly question on here) as #1? I may be biased, but I'd put Bo above Sanders. Sanders had the longevity, but Bo was a beast. Had he not gotten hurt....

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...&sf118613830=1

The 3 Best NFL/MLB Players of All Time

The early '90s were a crazy time. People wore their clothes backwards (intentionally), coin-operated public telephones were still common, and you couldn't get sports news on the computer. It was pretty insane, honestly.

But it was also a time when you could see your favorite NFL star play baseball professionally. Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, and Brian Jordan each played -- and excelled -- in the NFL and MLB during the '90s.

Since 1970, only seven athletes have played both in both the NFL and MLB. The last player to accomplish this was Drew Henson, who played third base for the Yankees from 2002-2003 and QB for the Cowboys in 2004 and Lions in 2008.

In celebration of the 2017 MLB postseason, let's appreciate the uncommon men able to excel in both professional football and baseball.

3. Brian Jordan
Career: NFL (1989-1991), MLB (1992-2006)
Accolades: 1999 MLB All-Star, 1991 Pro Bowl alternate

When you talk about dual-sport pro athletes, Brian Jordan is probably not the first player who comes to mind. But Jordan enjoyed a long career in baseball, logging more MLB games (1,456) than any other NFL player. He hit 100 runs in 1998 and followed up with 100 more the next year, leading to an All-Star appearance in 1999.

Jordan's NFL career was brief but it wasn't due to a lack of production. He led the Atlanta Falcons in tackles in 1991 and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate.

Jordan never played NFL and MLB at the same time, though. In 1992, he signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals who offered the outfielder a $1.7 million bonus to play baseball exclusively, and that was the end of Jordan's football career.

2. Bo Jackson
Career: NFL (1987-1990), MLB (1986-1994)
Accolades: 1990 Pro Bowler, 1989 MLB All-Star, 1989 All-Star MVP

Bo Jackson spent four years playing both in the MLB and NFL at the same time. During those years he left his mark on both sports and pop culture. His ability to excel as both a running back and outfielder led to led to Jackson becoming the first player to play in both MLB and the NFL since the 1960s.

Bo's popularity was enormous. During the 1989 MLB All Star Game, after Jackson had established himself as a star in both leagues, Nike unveiled the "Bo Knows" ad campaign, which was successful enough to catapult Nike ahead of Reebok in the market, a lead they've only grown in the years since.

There's also the legend of "Tecmo Bo," aka the greatest athlete in video game history. Football fans and sports game enthusiasts still tell tales of just how ridiculously good Jackson's Tecmo Bowl alter ego was.

If that weren't enough, Jackson even has his own wrestling move. Pro wrestler Mark Angelosetti aka Mr. Touchdown dubbed his finishing move -- a wheelbarrow/stunner combination -- the Bo Jackson.

Jackson is also the only athlete to be selected to a Pro Bowl team and MLB All-Star team. Bo's feats are so unbelievable they sound like your uncle at the cookout after he's had a few too many, going on how he broke every record in his school's history. The only difference is Bo actually did do those things.

1. Deion Sanders
Career: NFL (1989-2005) MLB (1989-1995, 1997, 2001)
Accolades: Pro Football HOF, 2x Super Bowl Champion, 8x Pro Bowler, NFL DPOY 1994, 1992 NL Triples Champion

Many think of flash when they think of Deion Sanders, but behind the glitz was a historically great athlete. Sanders had the most longevity in both sports of any other athlete totaling 641 MLB games and 189 with the NFL.

Sanders lived up to his "Prime Time" nickname, as he remains the only player in sports history to score a touchdown and hit a home run in the same week. He's also the only athlete to play in both a World Series and Super Bowl -- Sanders hit .533 and stole 5 bases for the Braves in the 1992 World Series.

In 1994, Sanders won a ring with the 49ers at Super Bowl XXIX where he snagged an interception. The next season, Neon Deion parlayed his success into a long-running sweepstakes as NFL teams lined up to sign the superstar CB. It wasn't until Week 2 of the 1995 season that he signed with the Dallas Cowboys who made him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL at the time. It paid off. In 1996, he helped the Cowboys win their fifth Lombardi trophy at Super Bowl XXX -- in addition to playing CB, he returned a punt, and caught a 47-yard pass from Troy Aikman. Although they happened in different games with different teams, Sanders is the only player in Super Bowl history to record an interception on defense and a reception on offense. He has the most non-offensive career touchdowns of all time at 19, with 9 interceptions returned for a TD.

Comparing Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, you're talking about two of the greatest athletes of all time. But the thing that truly elevates Sanders is his longevity. Deion spent nine seasons in the MLB and 14 in the NFL. To put that into perspective, the average NFL career is about three years. Sanders played for over quadruple the league average and he spent nearly a decade playing in the MLB. That just doesn't happen, and it may never happen again.

[Molitoth]

I loved Bo Jackson as a kid and I dislike Deion... but due to longevity, I'd have to vote for Deion.

[carcosa]

Tim Tebow imho

[loochy]

I pick Bo because Deion wasn't as much as a standout in baseball. Bo was an absolute stud at both sports.
Posted via Mobile Device

[thegame214]

It's Bo and not close

[Rausch]

Bo was by far the best athlete of the last century.

Period.

He had a freak injury in a time they couldn't be fixed with lasers and stem cells..

[Eleazar]

Only Bo was a standout in both sports, not sure how there's much of a discussion here

[WhawhaWhat]

Bo was the better player. Deion had the better career by default because of Bo's injury.

The poll was the best player so I voted for Bo.

[luv]

Originally Posted by carcosa

Tim Tebow imho

[Nickel D]

It appears the "fix" is on.

[Rain Man]

Only one is in the Hall of Fame - the real one, not the media one that Dungy and Olandis Gary are in. You have to pick the Hall of Famer.

[Pennywise]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Bo was by far the best athlete of the last century.

Period.

He had a freak injury in a time they couldn't be fixed with lasers and stem cells..

Yep.

I read when he was in high school that his football team went swimming at some lake and he waded in waist high and did a back flip.

He could also stand flat footed and hop a picnic table sideways.

[kysirsoze]

Well the longevity argument goes even further since it seems more than likely that the reason Bo's career ended was rampant steroid abuse. Since that would have greatly increased his production, I'm going Sanders. I also would invoke Rainman's HoF argument.

That said, man Bo Jackson was incredible to watch. I only somewhat remember him due to my age, but it's fun to watch old games with him in either sport.

[RippedmyFlesh]

Originally Posted by loochy

I pick Bo because Deion wasn't as much as a standout in baseball. Bo was an absolute stud at both sports.
Posted via Mobile Device

This sanders was good in baseball Bo was great.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by loochy

I pick Bo because Deion wasn't as much as a standout in baseball. Bo was an absolute stud at both sports.
Posted via Mobile Device

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