Opening Day: Football Stars Who Also Shined At Baseball

ATLANTA, GA — Thursday is opening day for Major League Baseball and, in the world of sports, that's so exciting that even college football's most prestigious museum is getting in on the act.

Some of football's greatest players ever, it seems, historically couldn't help but answer the call of "Play ball!" when springtime rolled around as well. As such, the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta has put together a list of its inductees who, in addition to being gridiron greats, also distinguished themselves among the Boys of Summer.

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Here's a look at the accomplishments of five of them, ranging from the sports' earliest days to the modern era:

Deion Sanders, Florida State
On the gridiron, Sanders shut down opposing receivers in the Seminole secondary. He notched 186 tackles over that time and came away with 14 interceptions while also breaking up 27 passes. He earned back-to-back consensus NCAA All-American honors in 1987 and 1988 while also being named to 21 different All-American squads. In his senior season he won the Thorpe Award (given annually to the nation's top defensive back).
On the diamond, Sanders played in parts of nine seasons as an outfielder with the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants. He is the first player to play in both a Super Bowl and World Series.

Bo Jackson, Auburn
During his time playing football for the Auburn Tigers, Jackson ran for 4,303 career yards, which was the fourth best performance in Southeastern Conference history. Jackson finished his career with an average of 6.6 yards per carry, which set the SEC record. On the diamond, in his eight Major League seasons, Jackson had a career batting average of .250, hit 141 home runs and had 415 RBIs, with a slugging average of .474. His best year was 1989, when his effort earned him All-Star status. In 1989, Jackson ranked fourth in the American League in both home runs, with 32, and RBIs, with 105.

Jim Thorpe, Carlisle
A true all-arounder, Thorpe gained nationwide attention in 1911 as a running back, defensive back, placekicker and punter. That year, he scored all his team's points — four field goals and a touchdown — in an 18–15 upset of Harvard. In 1912 Carlisle won the national collegiate championship largely as a result of his efforts. Baseball-wise, Thorpe signed with the New York Giants in 1913 and played sporadically with them as an outfielder for three seasons. After playing in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1916, he returned to the Giants in 1917 but was sent to the Cincinnati Reds early in the season. In a famous "double no hitter" between Fred Toney of the Reds and Hippo Vaughn of the Chicago Cubs, Thorpe drove in the winning run in the 10th inning. Through his baseball career, Thorpe amassed 91 runs scored, 82 runs batted in and a .252 batting average over 289 games. He continued to play minor league baseball until 1922.

Kirk Gibson, Michigan State
On the gridiron, Gibson was a four-year letterman who earned first-team All-Big Ten and first-team All-America honors as a senior while helping lead the Spartans to a share of the 1978 Big Ten Championship. He set career highs in receptions (42), receiving yards (806) and touchdown receptions (7) in 1978. His 806 receiving yards in a single season established a school record at the time, breaking his own record of 748 he set as a sophomore. Gibson, of course would become better known in the Major Leagues. He was a first-round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in 1978 and went on to a distinguished 17-year career with the Tigers, Dodgers, Royals and Pirates. He played an integral role on two World Championship teams and was selected National League MVP in 1988 after batting .290 with 25 home runs and 76 RBI for the Dodgers.

Cal Hubbard, Geneva
Not many people get credit for creating a new position, but Hubbard is considered one of the inventors of the football position of linebacker. He was an All American and is the only person to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame. His success in baseball came as an umpire. From 1928 onward, he spent his football off-season umpiring in minor league baseball. By 1936 Hubbard had been called up to the Major Leagues, umpiring in the American League from 1936 to 1951, a contemporary with the likes of Yogi Berra. Soon recognized as one of the game's best officials, he was selected to work in the 1938 World Series, followed by three more series appearances. He also umpired in All Star Games in 1939, 1944 and 1949 — working behind the plate in the first two.

Scroll through our photo gallery at the top of this story for a look at these players shining on the gridiron and the diamond. And visit the College Football Hall of Fame website for information about all the greatest to ever play the sport.

Photos courtesy College Football Hall of Fame