Deion Sanders tried to play an NFL game and a Major League Baseball playoff game on Oct. 11, 1992, in an attempt to play both contests on the same day. The Hall of Fame account recounts that Sanders reached Pittsburgh shortly before the Atlanta Braves’ first pitch, but remained ready in the dugout and did not enter the game.

The Atlanta Falcons had kicked off against the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET. The Braves were scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Pirates that night in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Sanders wanted to appear in both contests, a feat the Hall of Fame account describes as unprecedented in major professional sports history.

Sanders’ effort followed a career split between football and baseball. He had earned all-state status in football, basketball and baseball at North Fort Myers High School. Florida State recruited him for football, while he also played baseball and ran track. During the Metro Conference baseball and track championships, he played in the baseball semifinal and final, then ran a leg of the 4×100 relay. Both teams won their championships that day.

Deion Sanders’ 1992 NFL and MLB Attempt

The Hall of Fame’s timeline of Sanders’ 1992 attempt begins at 3:52 a.m., when Sanders arrived in Fort Lauderdale after playing two innings for the Braves the previous night. At 10:45 a.m., he boarded the Falcons’ team bus for Miami. He fielded the opening kickoff at 1:01 p.m., and the game ended at 4:02 p.m. Sanders then began IV treatment.

At 4:55 p.m., a limousine took Sanders and others to a helicopter bound for the airport. He landed in Pittsburgh at 7:45 p.m. and reached Three Rivers Stadium at 8:28 p.m., minutes before the 8:44 p.m. first pitch. Nike, one of his sponsors, helped arrange the travel, according to the Hall’s account, which cites an MLB.com article from 2023.

Sanders had negotiated contract language that allowed him to compete and practice in both leagues, while concentrating mainly on football during the fall. In nine Major League Baseball seasons, he hit .263, stole 186 bases and recorded 43 triples. His 14 triples led the National League in 1992. In 1989, he became the first player to hit a home run and score a touchdown in the same week, the Hall says.

His football career brought a fifth overall selection by Atlanta in the 1989 NFL Draft and a touchdown in his first NFL game. Sanders later played for the 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins and Ravens. He recorded 53 interceptions and earned first-team All-Pro honors six times. The Hall says he also received the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1994.

A Playoff Appearance Came Later

Sanders did not play in Game 5 that night. He later joined the Braves for the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, missing a Falcons game on Oct. 18. In the Series, he went 8-for-15 with five stolen bases. The Hall describes his same-day attempt as unmatched since 1992.

The closest comparison cited by the Hall comes from auto racing, where drivers attempt the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Tony Stewart completed all 1,100 miles in 2001, the only driver to do so, according to the source. Sanders’ attempt remains an unusual example of an athlete trying to bridge two professional schedules in one day.

The Hall’s opening raises the question of multi-sport participation that also appears in coverage of school sports offerings. Related reporting has examined sports coaching for female athletes and technology used by youth sports programs.

Sanders’ 1992 NFL and MLB attempt ended at the ballpark: Sanders reached the ballpark in time to suit up, but did not play that night. The account leaves the comparison with racing’s same-day Double as its closest modern parallel.