Prime Time Plays Two Sports In One Day

On Oct. 11, 1992, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders suited up for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves.  He remains the only man in history to dress for two different professional sports team in one day.

Deion Sanders’ wild weekend began on Saturday night when he played in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Pittsburg Pirates where he pinch-hit in a 6-4 Braves win.  After the game, Sanders took a flight to Florida where his Atlanta Falcons took on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.  Deion played all but one snap on defense as well as returning both punts and kick-offs, and he even chipped in on offense with a nine-yard catch.  Following the game, Sanders traveled by limousine, helicopter, plane and limousine again to arrive back at Three Rivers Stadium just in time for Game 5.  Although he dressed for the game, Sanders did not see any playing time in the Pirates’ 7-1 victory.

When you think of two sport athletes, the name Deion Sanders, along with Bo Jackson, immediately come to mind.  What these two men accomplished on the gridiron and on the diamond is something we may never see again.

Sanders had a great career in the NFL he racked up 53 interceptions, and 22 touchdowns in his 16 years in the league. Sanders’ other accolades included being selected to the Pro-Bowl eight consecutive times from 1991-1999. Sanders also set a record for interceptions in the Pro Bowl with four, he is tied with Everson Wells and Champ Bailey. 

Sanders was also named an All-Pro eight consecutive times from 1991-1999, two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and 1994. In 1994 Sanders also was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was the CO-NFL Alumni Special Teams Player of the Year in 1998, along with Gary Anderson. He was also part of two Super Bowl Championship teams the 1994 San Francisco 49ers and the 1995 Dallas Cowboys.

Sanders’ was elected into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 2011 as well the college football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.

While Sanders was the cream of the crop in the NFL world, he was just a mediocre ball player with exceptional speed when it came to the MLB.

Sanders led the league in triples with 14 in 1992, but that was his only remarkable feat. Sanders accumulated 186 stolen bases, 39 home runs on 558 hits in his eight-year career, which spanned 12 years.

Sanders’ most memorable MLB moment came in the 1992 World Series where he hit .533 with four runs, eight hits, two of which were doubles, and one RBI while playing with a broken bone in his foot. The Braves would eventually lose to the Blue Jays in the World Series. He would never reach the World Series again.