Moments in NFL History: ‘Prime Time’ attempts historic sports double play

Specialization has become a hot-button topic inside youth sports circles. Should kids play one sport, focusing and honing specific skills? Or should they play multiple sports throughout the year, building an overall foundation and a wider range of abilities?

Whatever side of the chalk line you fall on, no reservation can be put on the historic feat that was attempted on this date (Oct. 11) in 1992.

DEION SANDERS, or “Prime Time” as he later widely became known, was one of the greatest athletes of his generation. At North Fort Myers High School, he attained all-state status in football, basketball and baseball.

Because of his skills on the diamond, Sanders was selected in the sixth round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft – the same draft that yielded future Hall of Famers Barry Larkin, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz. Fellow NFL and MLB standouts Bo Jackson and Brian Jordan also were part of this class.

Sanders’ high school football success landed him with Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles, though he did play on the baseball team and ran track. He became a two-time unanimous All-American, winning the JIM THORPE Award in 1988.

His first go at playing two sports in the same day took place while in college at the Metro Conference baseball and track championships. He played in both the semifinal and final games in the baseball tournament and ran a leg in the 4x100 relay. Both the baseball and track teams won their respective championships that day.

This “duality of sport” did not cease when Sanders reached the professional ranks. Due to strategic contract negotiations and language during most stops along his career in both football and baseball, he was allowed to compete and practice in the NFL and MLB, with the majority of his focus on football in the fall.

His career accolades over his time in the MLB and the NFL are nothing to bat an eye at. In the nine years he spent in Major League Baseball, Sanders hit .263 with 186 stolen bases and 43 career triples, including a National League-leading 14 in 1992.

In 1989, he experienced his first “first”, becoming the first player to hit a home run and score a touchdown in the same week.

Sanders’ last game in baseball came in 2001, where he hit a solo home run for the Toledo Mud Hens (AAA).

The gridiron is where Sanders excelled at a Hall of Fame level.

He was picked fifth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and immediately made an impact, scoring a touchdown during his first NFL game. Sanders would play in Atlanta until 1993, then with the 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins and Ravens before retiring. Over his career, Sanders amassed 53 interceptions and was named a first-team All-Pro six times and also took home the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1994.

Sanders’ athletic paths crossed on the biggest stage on this date (Oct. 11) in 1992.

That afternoon, the Falcons were scheduled to play the Dolphins in Miami at 1 p.m. ET, and the Braves were playing the Pirates in Pittsburgh in Game 5 of the NLDS that night. Sanders wanted to play in both – a feat that would be the first of its kind in major pro sports history.

With one of his sponsors, Nike, helping with travel arrangements, Sanders’ day looked like this, as stated in an MLB.com article from 2023:

• 3:52 a.m.: Sanders arrives in Fort Lauderdale after playing two innings for the Braves the previous night
• 10:45 a.m.: Sanders boards the Falcons’ team bus bound for Miami
• 1:01 p.m.: Sanders fields the opening kickoff of the game
• 4:02 p.m.: The Falcons-Dolphins game ends; Sanders starts IV treatment
• 4:55 p.m.: Limousine takes Sanders and others to helicopter to get them to airport
• 7:45 p.m.: Sanders lands in Pittsburgh
• 8:28 p.m.: Sanders arrives at Three Rivers Stadium, minutes before first pitch
• 8:44 p.m.: First pitch of the Braves-Pirates game with Sanders suited up.

Sanders was ready in the dugout but did not play in the game. He would, however, make an impact later on the diamond. He was on the Braves’ roster for the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays – missing a Falcons game on Oct. 18 – and went 8-for-15 with five stolen bases.

While Sanders did not step on the diamond that October day to play both sports, the attempt alone has not been duplicated. The closest comparison comes in the sport of auto racing: the famed NASCAR and IndyCar series “Double.” In one day, drivers compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Tony Stewart, in 2001, is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles in the same day.

While there might be another “Double” on the track in the future, Sanders’ attempt to play two major pro sports in the same day might never be seen again.