"If you take me, I'm gonna play baseball": Deion Sanders once opened up about his confident message that made Coach Prime 5th pick in 1989 draft

Before becoming "Coach Prime," Deion Sanders’ had a successful two-sport career, playing in the NFL for 14 seasons and the MLB for nine seasons.

The two-time Super Bowl winner played for five NFL teams and made eight Pro Bowls. He's also the only person to play both the Super Bowl and a World Series.

Now the coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders told GQ Magazine in 2023 about his outfits as well as demand on which NFL team drafted him.

“If you take me, I'm going to play baseball” (2:20)

Sanders was set on a specific team during the 1989 NFL draft.

The No. 1 pick went to the Dallas Cowboys, one of Deion's future teams, who selected future hall-of-fame QB Troy Aikman.

The next three picks were by the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs. These are three teams that would have benefitted from Sanders's presence, but he wanted nothing to do with them.

Sanders had his heart set on the team with the fifth pick, the Atlanta Falcons. He was a fan of the city of Atlanta, refering to it as:

"A chocolate city, They were a understanding city. They were a city on the rise. They were a city that I could ride with, and I knew was gonna ride with me" (2:30)

Eventually, Sanders's demand was heard, and he was drafted as the No. 5 pick by the Atlanta Falcons. He stayed at the Falcons for four years.But where did he go after that?

---

Deion Sanders's career

After leaving the Falcons in 1993, Sanders joined the San Francisco 49ers and had a strong season, recording six interceptions and scoring three touchdowns.

The 49ers made the Super Bowl that year, and Sanders recorded a late interception in the endzone to give his team the victory.

Sanders only stayed with San Francisco for one year, moving to the Dallas Cowboys, playing with Troy Aikman.

Sanders spent five years in Dallas, but his numbers would never live up to what he did in Atlanta and San Francisco. He won his second Super Bowl, as the Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super XXX in his first season as a Cowboy. It meant that Sanders won two consecutive Super Bowls on as many different teams.

After his time in Dallas, he went to Washington for one season before retiring and working as a broadcaster. That would not last long, as Sanders returned three years later to end his career with the Baltimore Ravens.

Eventually, Sanders recorded 512 tackles and 53 interceptions throughout his career. He did so while also playing professional baseball. It's a truly impressive legacy that's now growing as Sanders makes waves as a coach.

​