The 2024 NFL season is nearing its finish, whereas a flurry of thrilling strikes has occurred this MLB offseason. The 2-sport athlete shouldn’t be unusual within the collegiate ranks, and we’ve got even seen an exceptional two-way participant, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, win this yr’s Heisman Trophy. Shohei Ohtani will possible pitch in a Dodgers uniform in 2025, and proceed to be the most effective hitters within the league. There are a variety of noteworthy soccer gamers, principally quarterbacks, which have performed skilled baseball in some capability. Probably the most well-known of them are Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, each of whom have some iconic playing cards within the interest. Jackson’s 1987 Topps Future Stars and 1988 Tremendous Rookie are his prime playing cards, although his 1990 Rating could also be extra memorable. Sanders’ 1989 Rating is the extra useful of his soccer rookies, and he has card in 1989 Topps Traded as a Yankee, in addition to a number of others throughout units in 1990.
Brian Jordan will be the subsequent finest recognized two-sport athlete, with baseball and soccer. He started his professional profession as a security with the Falcons, whereas additionally enjoying within the Cardinals minor league system. Jordan gave up soccer in 1992 and commenced an extended, profitable profession within the main leagues, primarily with the Cardinals and Braves. He was an All-Star for Atlanta in 1999, and obtained MVP in three seasons, in a 15-year journey with 4 groups good for 32.9 bWAR. To take issues again a bit, I’d like to the touch on George Halas and Jim Thorpe. Halas, the founder, proprietor, coach and Corridor of Fame participant for the Chicago Bears, appeared in 12 video games as an outfielder for the Yankees in 1919. He has a card within the 1978 Grand Slam set, and yow will discover prints of him in pinstripes to border and add to your assortment. Jim Thorpe is arguably the best athlete of all time. He gained gold twice on the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, is a member of each the School Soccer Corridor of Fame and Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame, and performed six seasons of main league baseball, most notably with the New York Giants. Thorpe has a baseball card in 2014 Panini Classics. His 1955 Topps All-American card, celebrating his years at Carlisle as a halfback, is his finest.
D.J. Dozier, a star operating again and nationwide champion at Penn State, was drafted 14th general within the 1987 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He had beforehand been drafted by the Detroit Tigers, however initially selected to pursue a profession in soccer. Dozier had signed as an newbie free agent with the New York Mets, and like Jordan, performed within the minors off the gridiron. He debuted with the Mets in 1992 after retiring from the NFL, and performed in 25 video games. Dozier has a Tremendous Rookie card in 1988 Topps like Bo Jackson, and some completely different baseball rookie playing cards. My favourite of his is his 1992 Donruss Rated Rookie. John Lynch, the Corridor of Fame security for the Buccaneers and Broncos, and present common supervisor of the 49ers, was a 2nd spherical choose of the Florida Marlins out of Stanford within the 1992 June Novice Draft. He threw the primary pitch within the growth franchise’s historical past as a member of the New York-Penn League’s Erie Sailors, and appeared in two video games for the Single-A Kane County Cougars the next season. Lynch was drafted by Tampa Bay that yr, and made the precise name to give up baseball. He has some playing cards from 1992 with Erie, out of Traditional, Fleer Excel and Higher Deck. His nicest soccer rookie comes from 1993 SP.
A Heisman Trophy winner and 10,000-yard rusher within the NFL, Ricky Williams spent a number of years within the Phillies group throughout faculty. He was the fifth general choose of the Saints within the 1999 NFL Draft, that was the results of a historic commerce between New Orleans and the Washington Redskins, spearheaded by Mike Ditka. To maneuver up from twelfth to fifth, the Saints gave up each choose that they had in that draft and their first three within the subsequent. To me, the perfect Williams baseball card is his 1999 Simply Minors which you can pair along with his 1999 Simply Heisman card. Now, let’s get to the quarterbacks. Chad Hutchinson, like Lynch, performed for Stanford, and performed three seasons within the NFL with the Cowboys and Bears. He began 9 video games for Dallas in 2001, going 2-7. Hutchinson was a 2nd spherical choose of the Cardinals out of school, however made simply three appearances for St. Louis through the 2001 season. He has a rookie card within the 2002 Topps soccer set and a few from 1999 and 2000 with the Cardinals. Out of those I like his card from 2000 Pacific Prism probably the most. Drew Henson made his MLB debut earlier than his NFL profession started. He performed 8 video games between the 2002 and 2003 seasons for the Yankees, who drafted him out of highschool. Henson was a backup to Tom Brady at Michigan. He performed in 7 video games for the Cowboys in 2004 and a couple of for the Lions in 2008, after a while enjoying in Europe with the Rhein Hearth and subsequent follow squad stints with the Vikings. My favorites of his playing cards in every sport are his 2004 Bowman with the Cowboys and 2002 Topps Prospects card with the Yankees.
Brandon Weeden is a reputation you most likely haven’t heard in years. As a 28-year-old, he was taken within the first spherical of the 2012 NFL Draft by Cleveland after a robust run at Oklahoma State, faltered as many Browns quarterbacks are inclined to, and bounced across the league as a spot starter for the remainder of his profession. Any refractor of his from 2012 Topps Chrome is an inexpensive purchase, however Weeden additionally surprisingly has an autographed card in 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks and Prospects from his early days a prime prospect within the Yankees system. Russell Wilson, a Tremendous Bowl champion and present starter for the Steelers, performed baseball in addition to soccer at NC State. He was drafted within the 4th spherical by the Rockies within the 2010 draft and performed in two minor league seasons for them. Wilson can be claimed by the Rangers within the minor league part of the Rule 5 draft in late 2013 and joined the crew for spring coaching in 2014 and 2015. The Professional Bowler was later traded to the New York Yankees, his childhood crew, for future concerns. Wilson pinch hit for future MVP Aaron Choose in a spring coaching recreation towards the Braves and struck out to Max Fried. He has a 1st Bowman card in 2010 Draft Picks and Prospects and several other with the Seahawks from his 2012 rookie season.
Tim Tebow gained two nationwide championships and a Heisman Trophy at Florida, and was a shock first spherical collection of the Broncos within the 2010 draft. He gained a Wild Card recreation towards the Steelers in his second season with Denver, however didn’t have a lot of a future within the NFL after the Broncos signed Peyton Manning and he was traded to the Jets. Tebow, who hadn’t performed baseball since highschool, expressed curiosity in a professional profession in 2016, having not seen any soccer motion for years. He ended up signing a minor league cope with the Mets, reaching Triple-A Syracuse in 2019 on the age of 31. He participated in Mets spring coaching in 2020, didn’t play in any video games because the minor league season was canceled as a result of Pandemic, and retired from baseball in 2021. Tebow tried one other NFL comeback that yr with the Jaguars as a good finish, underneath his former coach at Florida City Meyer. It didn’t work out, to say the least, and he was launched through the preseason. He received a 1st Bowman card within the 2019 set with the Mets, and you may simply discover a good, orange refractor from 2010 Topps Chrome when he was a rookie with the Broncos.
Kyler Murray, the one lively participant on this listing, is the primary participant to be drafted within the first spherical of the MLB and NFL drafts. He was taken first general by the Cardinals in 2019 and has been their beginning quarterback ever since. Murray was one of many prime highschool baseball prospects in 2015. He started his faculty soccer profession at Texas A&M and transferred after his freshman season, by no means enjoying for the Aggies baseball crew. He did play each sports activities at Oklahoma, and in addition performed within the Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners through the summer season of 2017. The Oakland Athletics drafted Murray ninth general within the 2018 draft, and he supposed to affix them in camp subsequent yr. After his spectacular junior season with the Sooners through which he gained the Heisman, Murray prioritized soccer, although the A’s nonetheless maintain his rights. He has a uncommon baseball card from 2014, from Bowman’s Beneath Armor All-American set, that’s fairly costly. You’re higher off getting one in every of his Leaf playing cards from 2019 as a substitute. The Donruss Rated Rookie is the usual for low-end soccer rookies, although you possibly can additionally go together with Optic or Prizm.
The final two I’d like to say are among the many best quarterbacks of all time. You would possibly know that “The GOAT”, Tom Brady, was drafted by the Montreal Expos as a catcher. He was included in 2023’s Bowman Draft set and had a chase card, numbered 12/50, with the inscription “If baseball doesn’t work on the market’s at all times soccer”. A yr later, the cardboard has not surfaced publicly. Brady has a number of rookies from 2000 which might be actually useful, with Michigan and the Patriots. His 2000 Bowman card is among the most iconic within the interest. John Elway has some cool playing cards on this yr’s Bowman Draft. Stanford’s QB, who additionally performed on the baseball crew, was taken within the 2nd spherical of the 1981 MLB draft, and performed for the Oneonta Yankees of the New York-Penn League the subsequent summer season. He, like Brady, has some enjoyable inscribed playing cards this yr, one studying “drafted forward of Gwynn”, one other “Yankees > Colts”. There’s one other he shares with Tony Gwynn, itemizing the place every was drafted, Gwynn taken within the third spherical by the Padres. Elway’s 1984 Topps rookie with the Broncos is one I nonetheless want to select up. These newer playing cards of Brady and Elway shall be arduous to return by and price you a good bit. It’s a pattern I hope Topps continues with different achieved athletes which have some historical past with America’s pastime. I’d additionally wish to shout-out another post on the blog by John Racanelli, about some legends in basketball and others that share this connection.
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