At the time of writing, the only athlete to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series was Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr., although it would be fair to say that he enjoyed a much more successful career in professional football. Primarily a defensive back, or secondary, Sanders was a first-round draft pick, fifth overall, by the Atlanta Falcons in 1989 and spent the first five years of his National Football League (NFL) career with the ‘Dirty Birds’.
However, in 1994, Sanders signed a one-year contract with San Francisco 49ers and was instrumental in an emphatic 49-26 victory over San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX at the Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida. The following season, his first with Dallas Cowboys, Sanders repeated the feat, helping his team to a 27-17 victory over Pittsburgh Steelers at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
As a baseball outfielder, ‘Prime Time’, as Sanders was known, was famed for his ability to steal bases, rather than his hitting prowess. Prior to signing a four-year contract with Atlanta Falcons, he had been recalled from the minor league system to play Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, with whom he remained until 1990, when released and signed by the Atlanta Braves. Sanders enjoyed the best season of his professional career in 1992, helping his team to reach the World Series. However, he made just one World Series appearance, in a 5-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on October 18, 1992; the Blue Jays went on to win the series 4-2.