Deion Sanders tries to play baseball the same day as an NFL game, Oct 11 1992 - Today in NFL History
Turning pro in a major sport is tough, carving out a successful pro career is even tougher. But to be a successful pro athlete in two sports? It’s almost impossible.
Very little was impossible for Deion Sanders, the only player to appear in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. There was something he tried and failed to do however. On October 11 1992 he played an NFL regular season game for the Atlanta Falcons on the road against the Miami Dolphins. He returned a kick and two punts, caught a pass on offense and played on defense. The Falcons lost 21-17 and he immediately got on a flight to Pittsburgh, where the Atlanta Braves baseball team were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League Championship Series.
Unfortunately Sanders didn’t get on the field although he was in his uniform in the dugout. The Braves were beaten 7-1 and they didn’t get the chance to use Sanders as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. The Braves won the NLCS however and advanced to the World Series. A week after the opportunity in Pittsburgh, the Braves had a home game against the Toronto Blue Jays on the same day the Falcons had a regular season. However, instead of trying to fly between San Francisco, where the Falcons were playing the 49ers, Sanders opted to concentrate on baseball that day. The Braves eventually lost the World Series 4-2 and the Falcons finished a disappointing 6-10.