Everyone remembers Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson but do y'all remember these not-as-famous 2 sport athletes.
1. Dave DeBusschere- You should actually remember this dude because he was a two time NBA champion(both with the Knicks) and one of the greatest power forwards of all time(one of the NBA's 50 greatest players and a Hall Of Famer). But, if you do remember him, you probably don't know that he was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. His baseball statistics weren't quite as good as his basketball ones, 3 wins - 4 losses - 1 complete game (it was a shutout though) - and 1 hit in 22 at bats, in his short (April 1962-September 1963) MLB career.
2. Danny Ainge- Here's a guy you should also remember(or should know because he runs the Boston Celtics right now), but this guy(also a 2 time champion as a player and 1 as a GM, all with the Celtics) had a very forgetable baseball career like Mr. DeBusschere. Ainge was a utility player for the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting a mediocre .220 with 2 home runs and only 146 hits in 211 games. He is however the youngest Blue Jay ever to hit a homer at 20 years and 77 days.
3. Brian Jordan- Now this guy is probably remembered more for his baseball career then his secondary profession, patrolling the secondary for the Atlanta Falcons. As a baseball player he was a respectable .282, 184 homer runs, and 821 RBIs. I loved this guy because I worked with a Mets fan and this guy KILLED the Mets while he was an Atlanta Brave, and it burned this guy up that it seemed like BJ was up at bat whenever the game was on the line. BJ was however, was not just an outfielder. He was drafted by the Bills in the 7th round of the 1989 draft. After being cut he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as a safety(he didn't play for the Braves and the Falcons at the same time like Neon did though). In only two years he did rack up 5 picks and 4 sacks while working his way through the St. Louis Cardinals system as an outfielder. Once the Cardinals offered him a bunch of money to play baseball, it ended his football career.
4. Willie Gault- Now this guy is an American hero. Not only was he a part of probably the greatest NFL song ever(the Super Bowl Shuffle) he was also an Olympic Athlete. Willie would have been a two-time Olympian if the US did not boycott the 1980 Winter Games(he was a member of the 4x100 meter relay team), but he did make the 1984 Winter Games(as a bobsledder) In the NFL is where he made his money while being a pretty good wide receiver and kick/punt returner.
5. DJ Dozier- Now this guy was not a very good player at either sport, but he did make to majors in both. As a running back for the Vikings and the Lions he played only 4 seasons compiling 691 yards for 9 TDs. But DJ's baseball career was even shorter and less prolific. As an outfielder for the New York Mets he batted a lowly .191 BA with 4 stolen bases, 19 strikeouts and 1 error in the outfield. The reason why this guy made the list - I was there when he commited that error, that led to runs, and the drunk guy next to me heckled DJ to no end(he kept yelling "Ya can't catch a football OR a baseball!!!) That's the only reason why I remember him at all.
Honorable Mention - Julius Peppers - College basketball as a very good Power Forward at UNC and then as a defensive end in the NFL, Kenny Lofton - College basketball as a point guard with Lute Olsen in Arizona and many years in the MLB, Donovan McNabb - Final Four with the Orangemen and a Pro Bowl quarterback, Drew Henson - Topped out in football and baseball at Michigan, but the Yankees AND the Cowboys both wanted him at the same time, Jim Brown - Ask Grandpa and he'll tell ya he was the greatest running back of all time, but, ask anyone who saw him play other sports at Syracuse(basketball, lacrosse and track) and they will tell he was one of the greatest athletes of all time, Jim Thorpe - the greatest athlete of all time. Olympic Gold Medal winner in the pentathlon and decathlon along with being a professional baseball, football and basketball player.
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