Looking back at the NFL career of Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders is known for his career as a college football head coach. But back in the day, he frequently made exciting plays on the football field as well as the baseball diamond.
Sanders has impressively played in both the NFL and Major League Baseball. He's the only athlete to ever play in a Super Bowl and World Series and even hit a home run and scored a touchdown in the same week.
While Sanders had a solid Major League career, let's focus on what he did as a professional football player. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Today's #ThrowbackThursday features Deion Sanders!
Sander's was the fifth pick overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. https://t.co/GHogGlKJY0
Deion Sanders was one of five Hall of Famers who were taken in that draft. The other four were Troy Aikman, who he later teamed up with on the Dallas Cowboys, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Steve Atwater.
He played the first five seasons of his career with the Falcons, emerging as one of the league's top "shutdown" cornerbacks and kick returners and during his days in Atlanta, he intercepted 24 passes and scored a combined 10 touchdowns.
Sanders signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, joining forces with Steve Young and Jerry Rice. He had the best season of his career that year, winning the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award and helping the team win a Super Bowl.
The #49ers faced the #Chargers twice in 1994. Both were 23-point wins. Deion Sanders had an interception in both games.
Here's his INT for a TD in the team's first meeting.
#Random49ers https://t.co/f5oHY0FOTo
After only one season with the 49ers, Deion Sanders took his talents to the Cowboys, who were already stacked with stars like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.
The player helped Dallas win a Super Bowl during his first season with the team. The following season, he spent more time at wide receiver, recording a career-high 36 receptions and 475 receiving yards.
"Prime Time" played five seasons overall with the Cowboys. He later played one season (2000) with Washington before retiring and eventually made a comeback, playing two years with the Baltimore Ravens, then hanging up his football cleats for good.
Deion Sanders had a ton of NFL achievements
Deion Sanders played 14 seasons with the Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys, Washington and the Ravens. The former Florida State star is considered by many to be one of the greatest cornerbacks and one of the best kick returners in NFL history.
His resume includes two Super Bowl victories, a Defensive Player of the Year award, eight All-Pro selections, eight Pro Bowls and 53 career interceptions and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.