Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders is an American former professional football and baseball player and football coach, widely regarded as one of the NFL’s greatest cornerbacks.

Atlanta Falcons: The Atlanta-based NFL franchise founded in 1965. Sanders began his NFL career with the Falcons after they selected him fifth overall in 1989.
1989 NFL Draft: The annual selection event in which NFL teams choose eligible college players. Atlanta selected Sanders fifth overall, launching his professional football career.
Cornerback: A defensive back who primarily covers eligible receivers in American football. This was Sanders’s defining NFL position and the basis of his reputation.
Two-sport athlete: An athlete who competes professionally or at a high level in two different sports. His simultaneous careers in the NFL and Major League Baseball made him the era’s most prominent example.
Rod Woodson: Rod Woodson was a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back who played cornerback and safety. Woodson matched Sanders’s versatility and longevity, while compiling a different balance of tackles and interceptions.
Jerry Rice: Jerry Rice is a former NFL wide receiver widely considered the greatest at his position. Their matchups featured Sanders’s coverage against the receiver who set many of the NFL’s major receiving records.
1992 World Series: The championship series in which the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves. Sanders played for the Braves, becoming the first athlete to appear in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
Man-to-man coverage: A defensive scheme in which each defender is assigned to cover a particular offensive player. Sanders excelled in isolating receivers, allowing defenses to assign him difficult individual matchups.
Celebrity athlete: An athlete whose public identity and fame extend substantially beyond sporting performance. Sanders turned an expressive personal brand into an inseparable part of his sporting identity.
Charles Woodson: Charles Woodson was a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back and 1997 Heisman Trophy winner. Woodson’s two-way college impact offers a comparison with Sanders’s own football and baseball stardom.

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Bo JacksonRelated: Like Jackson, Sanders played in both the NFL and Major League Baseball.