Sanders, Deion L.
Football
b. Aug. 9, 1967, Ft. Myers, FL
An often controversial two-sport star, Sanders was a three-time All-American defensive back at Florida State University, from 1986 through 1988, and he also played minor-league baseball during the summer of 1988. He was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft.
Before joining the Falcons, though, Sanders resumed his professional baseball career. After spending most of the 1989 season in the minor leagues, he batted .234 in 14 games with the New York Yankees. On Sept. 5, he hit a home run in New York's 12-2 defeat of the Seattle Mariners. Five days later, he returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in his first NFL game. He's the only player to hit a major league home run and score and NFL touchdown in the same week.
Sanders made an immediate impact in Atlanta as a cornerback and kick returner, intercepting 5 passes, returning 28 punts for 307 yards and 1 touchdown, and running back 35 kickoffs for 725 yards.
Sometimes called "Neon Deion" because of his flashy style, Sanders was released by the Yankees after the 1990 season and was signed by the Atlanta Braves. Playing for two teams in the same city made it easier for him to pursue careers in both baseball and football.
As a part-time outfielder in 1991, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Sanders batted only .191, but the following season he hit .304, led the league with 14 triples in just 97 games, and stole 28 bases. He also batted .533 and stole 5 bases in the team's seven-game World Series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, many Atlanta fans and most of his teammates were displeased by the fact that he could appear in only four games because he also had a commitment to play for the Falcons.
In 1993, Sanders agreed to remain with the Braves through any post-season games. He batted .276 and stole 19 bases in 95 games that season and reported late to the Falcons after the Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the league championship series. Despite his late arrival, he led the NFC with 7 interceptions.
The Braves traded Sanders to the Cincinnati Reds during the 1994 season. He had 38 stolen bases in 92 games when the season ended in August because of the players' strike. Sanders also changed NFL teams that year, signing a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent.
In his one season with the 49ers, Sanders had six interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns to be named the NFL's defensive player of the year. He had another interception in San Francisco's 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.
He again changed teams in both sports in 1995, as the Reds traded him to the San Francisco Giants and he signed a seven-year contract, valued at $35 million, with the Dallas Cowboys.
Because of surgery on an ankle injured playing baseball, Sanders didn't play for the Cowboys until late October. In nine games, he intercepted two passes and returned them for 34 yards. He returned only one punt that season, but it was for 54 yards. The Cowboys won the Super Bowl, giving Sanders his second championship ring in as many years.
In 1996, Sanders didn't play baseball, but he played both offense and defense for the Cowboys, starting eight games at wide receiver and all 16 at cornerback. Teams generally avoided throwing in his direction, so he intercepted only pass, but he had 36 receptions for 475 yards and one touchdown.
After injuries limited him to 11 games in 1998 and 14 in 1999, Sanders was released by the Cowboys. Almost immediately, he signed a seven-year, $56-million contract with the Washington Redskins. However, he played only one season in Washington before announcing his retirement.
Sanders worked on the CBS pre-game show, The NFL Today, in 2002 and 2003. Then, after three years away, he returned to pro football with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004. Although he missed five games with an injury, he had three interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown.
Twice Sanders went back to baseball. He rejoined the Cincinnati Reds in 1997 after a year away and finished second in the National League with 56 stolen bases. He then retired from baseball once more but returned to the Reds in 2001. However, the team cut him during the season, when he was hitting only .173.
In nine major-league seasons, Sanders appeared in 641 games and batted .263, with 39 home runs and 186 stolen bases.
Sanders holds the NFL record for return touchdowns with 19, nine on interceptions, six on punt returns, three on kickoff returns, and one on a fumble recovery. He also caught three touchdown passes. He's the only man ever to have played in a World Series and a Super Bowl.