Iconic Athletes Who Played Multiple Professional Sports

Most athletes can only dream of making it to the big leagues in their sport of choice. Then, there are those athletes who excel not just in one professional sport. They manage to move on to another professional sport and even become just as successful as their previous sport.

One of the best multi-sport athletes is Usain Bolt, and he’s one of the most recognizable Olympians in history. Since retiring back in 2017, he’s managed to bring his skillset into the soccer field. In 2018, Bolt began his football career in Australia, and he began training with Australia’s Central Coast Mariners.

Without any doubt, Bolt deserves a ton of credit for being brave enough to venture into other sports. However, there are more athletes who managed to make the jump just as Bolt did from track and field into soccer. With this in mind, here are some multi-sport athletes you certainly know about!

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan will probably forever be remembered as the greatest NBA player of all time. Interestingly, basketball wasn’t the only sport that Jordan played as an athlete. Back in 1993, he announced his retirement from basketball in order to pursue a career in baseball. He left basketball to try out for the Chicago White Sox, which was a team also owned by the Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

Jordan eventually signed a contract with the White Sox, and he was able to play in 127 games for the Birmingham Barons, which was the White Sox’s Minor League affiliate. Jordan is actually a better baseball player than people give him credit for, and he averaged over .202, 51 RBIs, and over 30 stolen bases. However by 1995, Jordan decided to go back to basketball, and he managed to win three more NBA championships.

Deion Sanders

Everyone certainly knows who Deion Sanders is as he dominated the NFL during the ‘80s and the ‘90s. Interestingly, Sanders was a two-sport athlete back in college, and this pattern continued when he turned pro as well. Back in 1988, Sanders was drafted by the Yankees, and a year later, he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. He had no problems playing baseball and football as he managed to excel in both.

As a baseball player, Sanders easily takes credit as an excellent outfielder, and he played in the 1992 World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He also went to win two Super Bowls as a member of the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the mid-‘90s. It’s certainly impressive to learn that this multi-sport stud continued to play baseball until 2001 and professional football until 2005.

Bo Jackson

This list wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention Bo Jackson’s name. This iconic athlete managed to play in the NFL and MLB just like “Primetime” Deion Sanders, and he’s considered as one of the greatest athletes in history.

Jackson was drafted by the Yankees back in 1982, but he decided to go to Auburn University to get his degree and play college football. As a result, Jackson became the 1986 Heisman Trophy winner and subsequently became a draft pick by the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Jackson opted not to play for the franchise, and he then decided to play Major League Baseball, where he played as an outfielder for the Kansas City Royals.

The following year, Jackson signed with the Raiders and made his NFL debut. He was certainly able to excel in both sports, and he became the first athlete to become an All-Star in two major North American sports.

Gene Conley

Everyone certainly remembers Gene Conley, and his successful career in baseball and basketball. During his playing career in baseball, he managed to become an All-Star pitcher. This right-handed pitcher even managed to win a World Series with the Milwaukee Braves back in 1957. Two years later, in 1959, Conley then joined the Boston Celtics, where he contributed to three consecutive NBA championships.

You could say that this iconic athlete knows a thing or two about winning sports championships. Interestingly, he’s the only athlete in history who has credit for winning a World Series title and an NBA Championship. Without a doubt, Conley is one of the most unique athletes that sports and sports fans have ever seen.