Multi-Sports Stars From Yesteryear
Jim Thorpe - arguably the greatest athlete of all-time. Picture credits: The NTVS
It’s not uncommon for high school athletes to star in more than one sport before specializing in one that might earn them a college scholarship. But for some who starred in football or basketball, their love for playing baseball was never overcome until they tried it.
Usually, they learned that “it’s a whole other ball game.” But sometimes they succeeded. Here are some examples of both.
Jim Thorpe
Raised on a Sac and Fox Indian reservation, Jim Thorpe has long been considered America’s greatest athlete, Winner of two gold medals in track and field events at the 1912 Olympics, he was a two-time All-American fullback playing for the Carlisle Indian school between 1907 and 1912 playing against such major college powerhouses as Army, and a star in the early days of the NFL.
Thorpe had played a few seasons of minor league baseball while at Carlisle, but was not considered an outstanding prospect. Hoping to cash in on his popularity as an Olympic hero, in 1913 John McGraw signed him to a three-year contract at $6,000 a year, then a record for a rookie prospect. Over the next few years Thorpe spent more time in the minor leagues than with the Giants.
Thorpe appeared in 289 games over six years and hit .252 with 29 stolen bases. For the rest of his life he barnstormed with numerous semi-pro teams, drawing crowds more for his fame than his baseball ability.
Earle “Greasy” Neale
Little known today, Greasy Neale is the only athlete to play in a World Series, coach a team in the Rose Bowl and wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Beginning in 1912 he was a minor league outfielder in the summer, an end on the West Virginia Wesleyan football team in the fall, and the leading scorer on the basketball team in the winter. In 1915 he batted .351 at Wheeling in the Central League and was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds. In eight years with the Reds he played every outfield position and batted .259. In the 1919 World Series he led both teams with 10 hits as the Reds defeated the Chicago White Sox.
Oh, and during the winter he was playing professional football for the Canton Bulldogs in the early days of what would become the NFL. One of his teammates was Jim Thorpe.
Neale went on to coach Washington & Jefferson against heavily favored California in the 1922 Rose Bowl. The game ended in a 0-0 tie. After coaching at Virginia, West Virginia and Yale, Neale topped off his career by coaching the Philadelphia Eagles to consecutive NFL championships.
Sammy Baugh
Football Hall of Famer Slingin’ Sammy Baugh was a two-time All-American quarterback at TCU in the early 1930s before starring for the Washington Redskins for 15 years as the NFL’s leading passer, punter and safety 1937-1952. In those pre-Super Bowl days he led the Redskins to two NFL championships, and in 1940 averaged 51.4 yards per punt, a record that stood for 82 years.
Sammy Baugh excelled at both American football and baseball. Picture credits: HTTR4Life
But like many young athletes of the 1930s, his first love was baseball. After his first season with the Redskins, he still yearned to see how he could do on the diamond. In the spring of 1938 he signed with the Cardinals. But after batting .200 in 53 games as a shortstop at Rochester and Columbus, he decided he was better at kicking and throwing a football than hitting a baseball.
Don Hutson
An All-American end at Alabama 1932-1934, in the pre-NFL draft days, Hutson was persuaded by Green Bay Packers coach Curly Lambeau to sign with the Packers and team with their star passer, Arnie Herber. Hutson, a native Alabaman, had never heard of Green Bay.
For the next five years the combo of Herber and Hutson dominated the NFL; then it was Cecil Isbell and Hutson for the next five. Hutson set records that lasted for years and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But Hutson had also been an outfielder at Alabama and he itched to see how he would do on the diamond. Encouraged by batting .312 in a brief stint at Class C Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in 1936, he signed with the Yankees in 1937, but after hitting only .208 in Class A and B, he decided that catching passes, not fly balls, was his future.
Michael Jordan
After leading the Chicago Bulls to three consecutive NBA championships, Air Jordan took a year off to try his hand at baseball. The Chicago White Sox signed the 31-year-old for their Birmingham farm team in the AA Southern League. He hit .202 with 3 home runs and 30 stolen bases, then came back and led the Bulls to three more titles.
Vincent “Bo” Jackson
Vincent “Bo” Jackson was a 1985 Heisman Trophy running back in the fall and a star outfielder in the spring for Auburn. In high school he had preferred baseball to football, and had been drafted by the Yankees, but chose a football scholarship to Auburn instead.
After graduating in 1986, he signed with the Kansas City Royals to play baseball in the spring and summer, and the Los Angeles Raiders to play football in the fall. And for the next four years, that’s what he did, earning All-Star status in both sports. In 1989 he was the All-Star Game MVP, going 2-for-4 with a home run in the AL’s 5-3 win.
Vincent “Bo” Jackson earned All-Star status in both football and baseball. Picture credits: Sports World News
With the Raiders he averaged 5.4 yards per carry before a hip injury ended his football career in 1991.
In an eight-year major league career, Jackson found out what other two-sport stars had learned, that hitting a ball was harder than carrying or catching one. He was a .250 hitter, though he had some power, hitting 141 home runs. But he also struck out 841 times, with a high of 172 in 1989.
