Most people think of professional athletes as players who specialize in only a single sport. However these guys prove that you can be exceptional at both sports, many people know that Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson did it, but there are ten other guys who were incredible athletes on the football field before transitioning full time to baseball when they turned professional.

#1 Kirk Gibson

Kirk Gibson is mostly remembered for his epic walk off homer in the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, prior to his baseball career, he was a standout football player, and he arguably could’ve played football professionally as well. He was an incredible collegiate wide receiver, and was even named an All-American as a stand out superstar for the Michigan State Spartans. He set several school records and conference records throughout his career with Michigan State. He is a college football Hall of Fame member as well, and at the suggestion of his head coach, he decided to play college baseball for Michigan State. 

He had an incredible season with Michigan State, and it launched a solid baseball career that would last nearly 2 decades. He is one of the few players on this list to be drafted in both professional baseball and professional football. It arguably would’ve worked out for him, regardless of which sport he chose to play professionally. Despite being remembered for his time with the Dodgers, he spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers in a career that spanned over 15 seasons. Following his playing career he went into coaching as a manager for Arizona and Detroit. He is a two-time World Series champion and a former NL MVP award winner as well.

#2 Todd Helton

Todd Helton is best remembered for being a superstar for the Colorado Rockies, and being one of the best power hitters in the history of the franchise as well. He’s also considered one of the best defensive first baseman in the history of baseball, as he has racked up several gold glove awards to go along with several silver slugger awards. He spent his entire 17 year career in Colorado and he is a member of the Colorado Rockies Hall of Fame and he will likely soon be a member of the national baseball Hall of Fame as well. He holds the club record in several different categories for Colorado as he finished his career with over 2000 hits, and 369 home runs, and he remained healthy and consistent in his career, playing in over 2000 games. 

Before he became a legend on the diamond, he was a standout football player for the University of Tennessee. However, only three games into his first season as the starting quarterback, he injured his knee and he was replaced by Peyton Manning. If you know anything about football, then you can obviously figure out how that went for Todd Helton and you could see why he decided to focus on baseball for the remainder of his collegiate career. It ended up being a solid decision for him, as he turned out to be one of the best baseball players in the history of the Colorado Rockies, and one of the best baseball players in the history of the sport as well. He was named the national collegiate baseball player of the year after his junior season, and excelled both hitting and pitching for Tennessee throughout his career.

#3 Frank Thomas

Frank Thomas was known as “The Big Hurt” throughout his legendary baseball career. He was an all-state selection in football in his home state of Georgia in his senior season, and he played collegiate football before deciding to play baseball professionally. His athletic ability earned him a scholarship at Auburn to play football, after he went undrafted in the amateur MLB draft after his senior season of high school. However, his love of baseball landed him with the Auburn Tigers baseball team, after injuries in football effectively wrapped up his career on the gridiron. 

He ended up going on scholarship to play baseball for Auburn instead, and the rest has been history for Frank Thomas as he has gone down as one of the best power hitters in the history of the game. He is a four-time silver slugger winner and a member of the national baseball Hall of Fame as well as one of the greatest players in the history of the Chicago White Sox franchise. He had a career that spanned nearly 2 decades, and he spent 16 years with the Chicago White Sox. The other three years of his career were spent with Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays.

#4 Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle might be one of the greatest baseball players in history but what many people don’t know is he was a pretty solid football player back in his day as well. He played football all through high school, and even earned a scholarship to Oklahoma before getting injured in a game and giving up the sport to focus on his baseball career. He has a long list of accomplishments, and he spent his entire baseball career with the New York Yankees, and won several World Series titles as a part of their dynasties throughout the mid-1900s. 

He is a three time MVP award winner and a 20 time All-Star, and he would likely have a larger list of accomplishments if silver slugger and gold glove awards were given out during the prime of his career. He led the league four times in home runs, and he is a member of the national baseball Hall of Fame after being inducted in 1974. They’re not many players in the history of the sport like Mickey Mantle, however, one can’t help but wonder how Mickey Mantle would’ve performed in the National Football League had he decided to play professional football instead of professional baseball. Perhaps he would’ve went down as the greatest New York Jet of all time instead of one of the greatest New York Yankees of all time.

#5 Joe Mauer

When you think of some of the best catchers in the history of baseball, Joe Mauer is certainly a name that comes to mind. The longtime Minnesota Twins star switched to first base later in his career after several concussions, but before his fame on the diamond he was a stand out football player as well. He was a three-sport athlete in high school, and he is the only high school player in the history of the award to win national player of the year in both football and baseball. He is also the only catcher in history to win three batting titles, as he will arguably go down as the greatest hitting catcher of all time. 

He is a former number one overall draft selection in 2001, and he spent his entire career with Minnesota. If you’re wondering where his cannon of an arm came from, he played quarterback in high school, and as you could see by his accolades, he was also solid on the gridiron as well. To go along with his batting titles Mauer has five Silver Slugger awards, an MVP award, three Gold Gloves, and he has six all-star selections to his name as well. He is also a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame and he will likely soon be a member of the baseball Hall of Fame as well.

#6 Jeff Samardzija

When it comes to players who chose baseball over football, Jeff Samardzija is perhaps the most accomplished football player on this list outside of Bo Jackson. He was a standout wide receiver at Notre Dame, and he carved out a very solid baseball career for himself as a pitcher for several Major League Baseball franchises between 2008 and 2019. He had blazing speed and he was able to catch any ball that came within his reach from Brady Quinn and on the diamond he was a lights out pitcher for the Fighting Irish baseball team as well. 

He started his career with the Chicago Cubs back in 2008, and he spent time with the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants as well. He had a Major League Baseball career that lasted over a decade and he spent the majority of his career in the National League. He racked up nearly 1500 strikeouts throughout his career and 80 victories in that span as well. He was an all-star in 2014 during his final year with the Cubs before being traded to Oakland in the same season. He had a commanding fastball that topped out in the high 90s, and there is an argument to be made that he is one of the better athletes on this list. He is also the only pitcher to be featured on this list.

#7 Adam Dunn

Adam Dunn is arguably one of the greatest power hitters in the history of baseball. He hit over 400 home runs in his major league career, and with his power you’d think he was a stand out offensive or defensive lineman back in high school. However, he is a former high school quarterback, and he could’ve had a respectable football career, had he not chosen to play baseball. At one point he was committed to play for Texas as a quarterback before being drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Reds. 

When Texas asked him to move positions in the off-season, he decided to give up football to pursue baseball, and given the career he had it certainly worked out for him in the long run. He had a 13 year baseball career that he spent with several teams, but he’s most remembered for being a Cincinnati Red during the Ken Griffey Junior era. He recorded over 1100 Runs Batted In throughout his career as he was a threat every time he stepped up to the plate.

#8 Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson has gone down as one of the greatest baseball players in history, and he is long considered to be the guy responsible for breaking the color barrier in professional baseball. However, it should be no surprise to many people that with his blazing speed, he was a stand out athlete in football as well. Despite only spending nine years playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he is widely regarded as an icon within the sport of baseball. His number 42 is retired league wide and to date, he is the only guy with a number that has retired in all 30 MLB franchises. He played running back for the UCLA Bruins back in the day and he led the NCAA in average yards per punt returns two years in a row. He ran for over 12 yards per carry throughout the 1939 college football season. 

He is a member of the national baseball Hall of Fame, and his legacy will live on forever. He is a former high school and collegiate quarterback, but he arguably made the right choice by selecting to play baseball as his short decade long career has turned him into an icon of the sport, and a trailblazer for many young kids, all around the world. His contributions to the sport of baseball are well remembered, and every year MLB recognizes him with Jackie Robinson day where everybody in the league wears the number 42 on the back of their jersey.

#9 Darin Erstad

Darin Erstad is best remembered as a fantastic third baseman for the California Angels throughout his legendary Major League Baseball career. He spent 13 years playing professional baseball with three different teams, but the majority of his career was spent with Los Angeles. He is a three time gold glove award winner, and although he may not have as many accomplishments as some of the other guys on this list, who chose to play professional baseball, he has certainly carved out a spot for himself in the history of the game. 

He was a four sport athlete during his time in high school, and he was a place kicker and a punter on the gridiron. He had a legendary collegiate baseball career at Nebraska that carried him into Major League Baseball, as he tore up college baseball with his incredible and timely hitting throughout all four years of his career. He also holds the distinction of being a national champion in football as he was the starting punter for Nebraska in their 1994 championship season.

#10 Dave Winfield

Dave Winfield is best remembered for his time with the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees. He is arguably one of the best players in the history of baseball. He has a long list of accomplishments that he earned in a career that spanned over two decades. He started his legendary career back in the early 1970s with the San Diego Padres and he last played for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) in 1995. He is a former World Series champion, as he won a ring with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has won several awards on both sides of the diamond, as he is known for his hitting and defensive ability. 

He is a six time silver slugger award winner and a seven time gold glove winner as well. On top of all that he is a baseball hall of fame member and his number is retired by the Padres. However, before he was an elite baseball player, he had a pretty solid football career going for him as well. Not only did he excel in football, he was a star athlete in basketball as well, as he helped lead Minnesota to a Big Ten championship on the hardwood.