Players Who Played Both MLB And NFL | Let’s Get To Know Each Era’s Seven Best Players

Last Updated on August 2, 2023

We all love sports, don’t we? There are many players who we love to see in action in the game. Sometimes, people choose to be the fan of the players who played more than one type of game. 

And among them, players who played both MLB and NFL are renowned a lot. I have found a lot of players who had a shining life in both MLB and NFL. 

That is why, in this blog, I will take you on a short tour with me of these amazing players’ lives, how they played both of them, how long they stayed, and many more facts. So, buckle up, and let’s head for the journey.

List of Players Who Played Both MLB and NFL

Learning all at a time can be boring, and too many words to consume. That is why I made the list into several divisions so that you can understand the players better than ever.

To show all the players in different sections, I have made up three parts of players who played both MLB and NFL – 

1. Early Pioneers(1900 – 1950)
2. Modern Crossovers(1951 – Present)
3. Notable Players Who Made the Transitions

Let’s not wait anymore. I can’t wait to tell you about them.

Early Pioneers

If you take a look at the 1900s to 1950s, many iconic players played either MLB first and then transferred to NFL or vice versa. 

Here is a list of players who played both NFL and MLB at that time – 

Name	NFL Teams	MLB Teams
Paul Des Jardien	Chicago Tigers(1920)	Cleveland Indians(1916)
Paddy Driscoll	Two Teams(1920)	Chicago Cubs(1917)
Paul Florence	Chicago Cardinals(1920)	New York Giants(1926)
Chuck Corgan	Three Teams(1924)	Brooklyn Robins(1925)
Red Badgro	Three Teams(1927)	St. Louis Browns(1929)
Ox Eckhardt	New York Giants(1945)	Two Teams(1932)
Cliff Aberson	Green Bay Packers(1946)	Chicago Cubs(1947)

Paul Des Jardien

As an amazing sports freak, Paul Des Jardien had a great time in his era. When I started digging out his history with sports, I was really amazed. 

Let me show you why I was so obsessed with this guy – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Cleveland Indians

Joining Year: 1916

Position: One of the Best Pitchers in the Western Conference, A Night-Hander with a Good Curveball.

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Chicago Tigers

Joining Year: 1920

Position: Second-Team All-APFA Player

Paddy Driscoll

A player of honor deep from my heart. I know there are a lot of players out there whom I respect a lot, but Paddy Driscoll hits differently. 

As a quarterback and halfback for the Hammond All-Stars, Driscoll showed us his amazing performances. He never let down his fans. And I also love players who don’t let their fans down. Let’s learn his stats and summary of playing both baseball and football –

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Chicago Cubs

Joining Year: 1917

Position: The Third Baseman

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Racine/Chicago Cardinals

Joining Year: 1920

Position: NFL’s First All-Pro Quarterback

Paul Florence

I was really looking for a catcher who was also an NFL player. Because as a catcher, he will have good experience in catching football. Paul Florence is one of those guys. 

As an MLB and an NFL player, he had a lot of opportunities in life. For that reason, his name is still known to all. As I have said earlier, he was one of the gems. His history will say how he made appearances in these two sports – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: New York Giants

Joining Year: 1920

Position: Catcher of the Field

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Chicago Cardinals

Joining Year: 1926

Position: Catcher of the Field

Chuck Corgan

As a professional MLB and NFL player, Chuck Corgan had participated in both of them, like the mentioned ones. Speaking about him, I will say he was a great infield player. We all know how agile you have to be when you are an infield player. 

Corgan was one of those who made that history. If you want to be a great infield player like Corgan, you need to have a good glove to catch the ball faster and easier than in other positions.

That is why you can check out these 10 amazing infield gloves to play the best infield. Now, let’s come to Corgan with his bio – 

Professional NFL History

First Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Kansas City Blues/Cowboys, Hartford Blues, and New York Giants

Joining Year: 1924-1927

Position: Infielder

Professional MLB History

Second Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Brooklyn Robins

Joining Year: 1925

Position: Shortstop/Second Baseman

Red Badgro

One of the best players who dominated in the early era. When I saw his stats, they were all so great. Not only that, he contributed both in MLB and NFL a lot more than other players can ever do.

If I want to describe Badgro, I would denote him as a “Player with Ambitions to Fulfill”. He contributed to different baseball big-shot teams. Besides playing in the NFL and MLB, he had quite some good contributions in basketball too.

Let’s come back to the topic. The stats of Red Badgro will show how much his contributions in the games were – 

Professional NFL History

First Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: New York Yankees(1927-1928), New York Giants(1930 – 1935), Brooklyn Dodgers(1936)

Joining Year: 1927-1936

Position: End

Professional MLB History

Second Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: St. Louis Browns

Joining Year: 1929

Position: Outfielder

Ox Eckhardt

I have never seen a determined hard worker like Ox Eckhardt before. Although he barely achieved that much glory in baseball, his dedication to the game gives me a lot of motivation.

It is not like Eckhardt had a rough time always. He had an outstanding ability to hit for average. But his problem was having poor power to make home runs. And you know if you do not know how to make home runs, you can not do much in sports.

In spite of all these flaws, Eckhardt never lost hope of playing MLB, which he did later on. He not only played as a regular with the Brooklyn Dodgers but also with the Boston Braves(Atlanta Braves now).

Hence, what we learn from here is if you want to be an amazing player in baseball, you have to put your sweat and dedication into the play. And you can achieve anything.

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers

Joining Year: 1932

Position: Outfielder

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: New York Giants

Joining Year: 1945

Position: Halfback and Quarterback

Cliff Aberson

In my eyes, Cliff Aberson is one of the most average players. He contributed to both baseball and football. In both of the games, his stats were pretty average. Like in baseball, he hit  .251 in 63 career games. 

Also, the football stats are good, too, I will not say remarkable because he played only 10 games. So, not that much of an achievement there, either. There is not much of a history I found out of Aberson. These are all the stats that I got about him – 

Professional NFL History

First Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Green Bay Packers

Joining Year: 1945

Position: Tailback/Defensive Back

Professional MLB History

Second Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Chicago Cubs

Joining Year: 1946

Position: Left Fielder

Modern Crossovers

Inspiration or not, many players after the 1950s tried to play both MLB and NFL. Some went successful, some got wasted in their dreams to get into the hall of fame. 

I found out so many players like that. But here are my top seven picks who made the best times out there.

Name	NFL Teams	MLB Teams
Vic Janowicz	Washington Redskins(1954)	Pittsburgh Pirates(1964)
Tom Yewcic	Boston Patriots(1961)	Detroit Tigers(1957)
Norm Bass	Denver Broncos(1964)	Kansas City A’s(1961)
Tom Brown	Two Teams(1964)	Washington senators(1963)
D.J. Dozier	Two Teams(1987)	New York Mets(1992)
Deion Sanders	Fout Teams(1989)	Four Teams(1989)
Drew Henson	Two Teams(2004)	New York Yankees(2002)

Vic Janowicz

As a sports enthusiast, Vic Janowicz was a great player. I don’t know how well you know about this guy, but he made some prominent outputs in both MLB and NFL.

It would have been great if Janowicz would have stuck with his professional football career. He could have made some more history with that. Still, I admire his decision to choose a baseball career at the beginning. 

As he was learning, he learned from his baseball stats that it was better for him to go back to football. He even returned to football but could not make that much of a change because of an accident. 

I am sure that if the accident did not occur, we would have gotten one of the biggest gems in the NFL. Let’s check out his contributions as a player who played both MLB and NFL – 

Professional NFL History

First Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Washington Redskins

Joining Year: 1954

Position: Halfback

Professional MLB History

Second Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Pittsburgh Pirates

Joining Year: 1964

Position: Catcher

Tom Yewcic

Looking for an aspiring star who played both MLB and NFL? Then you really need to check out Tom Yewcic. As a prominent quarterback and punter in football and one of the best catchers in baseball, he had a lot of contributions in both of the games. 

You know how great a catcher can be if he plays in the NFL. We have already seen some catchers who played in the NFL. If you check their stats, you will find all of them outstanding players. 

Yewcic made a lot of contributions during his career. Let’s check out his stats in MLB and NFL history – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Detroit Tigers

Joining Year: 1957

Position: Catcher

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Boston Patriots

Joining Year: 1961

Position: Quarterback and Punter

Norm Bass

We have gotten all the baseball players except one pitcher. And yes, Norman Delaney Bass, Jr, also known as Norm Bass, is the player who we are looking for. He was a great pitcher for Kansas City Athletics and played as a safety in the NFL.

He was a great athlete. You won’t believe how he went from these amazing careers to playing table tennis professionally. Let’s check out his contributions over the games –

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Kansas City Athletics

Joining Year: 1961

Position: Pitcher

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Denver Broncos

Joining Year: 1964

Position: Safety

Tom Brown

Thomas William Brown, also in short Tom Brown, was a great professional football and baseball player. Like others on the list, he also had put his contributions over these games. As you have seen from the table, this individual had played in a lot of different teams from high school.

So, Brown’s experience in these sports was much higher too. He did not have that much of a contribution over baseball, but he put potential showdowns in the NFL. Let’s check his stats to learn about his history – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Washington Senators

Joining Year: 1963

Position: Outfielder and First Baseman

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Green Bay Packers(1964 – 1968), Washington Redskins (1969)

Joining Year: 1964

Position: Defensive Back

D.J. Dozier

Many players played both MLB and NFL in this era, but my eyes caught the attention of D.J. Dozier. His contribution to the sports, both in MLB and NFL, is top-notch. 

Dozier was a great running back in National League Football and an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He put his dedication and belief in the game, and the angels of victory showed him the way.

Like other baseball players, Dozier gained a lot of fame in these games with a lot of achievement too. Let’s check out his history over these games and how he pulled them off – 

Professional NFL History

First Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Minnesota Vikings(1987 – 1990), Detroit Lions (1991)

Joining Year: 1987

Position: Running Back

Professional MLB History

Second Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: New York Mets

Joining Year: 1992

Position: Outfielder

Deion Sanders

This went out of my head when I saw a person who played so many teams in such a short amount of time! Yes, you guessed right. 

Deion Sanders played part-time for most of the teams at the same time. While doing so, he also contributed to professional football in the National Football League. He contributed so much to football that he was nicknamed “Prime Time”. 

If you think this stops here, then you are way too much back to know. Sanders also became the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes and has been in this position for a long time. 

Now, let’s come to know his contributions over the MLB and NFL history – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: New York Yankees (1989 – 1990), Atlanta Braves (1991 – 1994), Cincinnati Reds (1994 – 1995), San Francisco Giants (1995), Cincinnati Reds (1997, 2001)

Joining Year: 1988 

Position: Left Fielder, Center Fielder

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Atlanta Falcons (1989 – 1993), San Francisco 49ers (1994), Dallas Cowboys (1995 – 1999), Washington Redskins (2000), Baltimore Ravens (2004 – 2005)

Joining Year: 1989

Position: Defensive Back

Drew Henson

If you are looking for any modern-day players, then I am glad to tell you the history of Drew Henson. Hanson was an amazing quarterback in football and was a great former third-baseman in baseball.

The career of Henson went very smoothly. He contributed to a lot of teams in his football career, such as the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. This is just his football career. He played some big shots as the New York Yankees’ third baseman in MLB too.

Speaking of his history of playing both MLB and NFL, let’s check out his inside data over these two leagues – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: New York Yankees

Joining Year: 2002

Position: Third Baseman

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Dallas Cowboys (2004 – 2005), Rhein Fire (2006), Minnesota Vikings (2006 – 2007), Detroit Lions (2008)

Joining Year: 2004

Position: Quarterback

Just like these amazing players who played both MLB and NFL, some players changed their careers from baseball to wrestling. You can learn about these 7 wrestlers who changed their careers from baseball too. 

Notable Players Who Made the Transitions

I have told you about a lot of players who made contributions in both MLB and the NFL. But some players were legendary in these two types of games and made history in these games.

That is why they are put in the Hall of Fame for both of the games. In this section, I am going to talk about those amazing sportsmen.

Name	NFL Teams	MLB Teams
Cal Hubbard	Four Teams	Umpire in American League
Greasy Neale	Four Teams	Three Teams

I am really excited to talk about these amazing players whose contributions are out of peak. So, let’s check them out. 

Cal Hubbard

Cal Hubbard was the one and only person in American baseball and football history who was included in both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I was so much surprised after learning the history of this amazing personality.

Who does not know the man who was voted for NFL’s greatest tackle of all time? He made his contribution to football so much that the NFL recognized his potential and gave him this award in 1969.

Everyone tries their hardest to gain this type of achievement in their life and struggles their whole life. So, for the players who play both NFL and MLB, Hubbard is just like an idol for them. 

In fact, as a baseball player, I am a huge fan of his too. He has a lot of contributions in baseball and football; no wonder he got this much respect. Let’s check out his achievement over the past century – 

Professional NFL History

First Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: New York Giants (1927 – 1928), Green Bay Packers (1929 – 1933, 1935), New York Giants (1936), Pittsburgh Pirates (1936)

Joining Year: 1927

Position: Tackle

Pro Football Hall of Fame Award: 1963

Professional MLB History

Second Joining Sport: Baseball

Played As: Professional Umpire

Joining Year: 1936

Ending Year: 1951

Baseball Hall of Fame Award: 1976

Greasy Neale

Can you imagine a player got his name from his elusiveness on the football field? Yes, Alfred Earle Greasy Neale is one of them. I do not know how many players got such a name from the field, but his “Greasy” name actually came from the football field. 

Neale had contributed a lot in his baseball and football career, a lot more than others. He got so many career-breaking games in both baseball and football. Not only that, but he also served as the head football coach for different college teams too. 

Also, he received a lot of awards, such as the “College Football Hall of Fame” in 1967, the “Pro Football Hall of Fame” in 1969, the “Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame” in 1987, and many more.

Now that you have learned so much about this legendary player, let’s learn his history over MLB and NFL, the reason why he is on this list – 

Professional MLB History

First Joining Sport: Baseball

Team Name: Cincinnati Reds (1916-1920), Philadelphia Phillies (1921), Cincinnati Reds (1921-1922, 1924)

Joining Year: 1916

Position: Outfielder

Professional NFL History

Second Joining Sport: Football

Team Name: Canton Bulldogs (1917), Dayton Triangles (1918), Massillon Tigers (1919)

Joining Year: 1917

Position: End

How These Historical Players Putting Impacts in the New Gen

Learning about these players will enrich the knowledge of the new sprouts of baseball and football. Many new players don’t know how to grow and whom to follow. 

I believe from here, even if one person gets motivated to follow footsteps, that is a success for that individual. Here are some of the ways these players putting impacts in the new generation – 

• They are impacting both MLB and NFL. This way, the fan interest can increase as they will get to know about both MLB and NFL from them. Also, the media coverage is getting enhanced from here.
• They are inspiring for future athletes. From the games and the stats, new players will create versatility in the game. This will help those youngsters to expand their opportunities in both MLB and NFL.
• By learning about these amazing historical players, the players will learn to have exceptional sportsmanship and respect for opponents and will also put their dedication to the craft.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Rare Is It for a Player to Excel in Both MLB and NFL?

Not everyone plays both professionally in MLB and NFL. If you see the history of baseball, you will not find that much of a number. Also, playing professionally is not an easy matter.

Only the exceptional had played both MLB and NFL in their history. They put their footsteps in this line that many baseball and football players follow.

2. How Did These Athletes Manage to Balance Their Commitments to Both Sports?

Keeping commitments to manage the balance in both athletes is not an easy matter. If you ask me to shift my career from baseball to football, it will be hard for me. I have to change my track, learn all the skewers of that other sport, and then have to think whether I can play professionally.

That is why I think they face challenging schedules and work harder than anyone else to make this type of balance.

Final Thoughts

If you are both an MLB and NFL lover, then you will surely admire the players who played both MLB and NFL. I believe these players can create an extraordinary revolution by inspiring youngsters.

In fact, I may be looking for opportunities later on to play football too. Just joking apart from my side. 

But if you want to do so, you can always walk in these amazing players’ footsteps and check the results at any time.

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