Greatest Athletes Who Played Multiple Sports

Jim Thorpe

Thorpe won Olympic gold in both the decathlon and pentathlon in 1912, then went on to play pro football, baseball, and even basketball, becoming the first president of what became the NFL. No one before or since has dominated so many disciplines simultaneously, cementing him as t

Sports Played: Football, Baseball, Track & FieldHighest Level Reached: NFL founder/player, MLB (Giants/Reds), Olympic championSignature Achievement: 1912 Olympic gold in decathlon and pentathlonYears Active: 1907-1928Overall Impact: 10/10

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Bo Jackson

Jackson is the only athlete ever named an All-Star in both MLB and the NFL, running through a wall on Monday Night Football and hitting tape-measure home runs in the same era. A hip injury cut short what many still call the most explosive combination of speed and power ever seen.

Sports Played: Football, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NFL Pro Bowl (Raiders), MLB All-Star (Royals)Signature Achievement: Only athlete named All-Star in both NFL and MLBYears Active: 1986-1994Overall Impact: 9.5/10

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Deion Sanders

Sanders literally played a Braves postseason baseball game and an NFL game in the same week in 1992, then flew between cities to do it. 'Prime Time' backed up the showmanship with a Hall of Fame football career while still stealing bases in the majors on the side.

Sports Played: Football, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NFL Hall of Fame (Falcons/Cowboys/49ers), MLB (Yankees/Braves/Reds)Signature Achievement: Played MLB and NFL games in the same week, 1992Years Active: 1989-2005Overall Impact: 9.5/10

added by IJRin 5 rankingsDeion Sanders

Jackie Robinson

Before breaking baseball's color barrier in 1947, Robinson was a four-sport letterman at UCLA, starring in football, basketball, baseball, and track, where he won the NCAA long jump title. His athletic range makes his baseball legacy even more staggering.

Sports Played: Baseball, Football, Basketball, TrackHighest Level Reached: MLB Hall of Fame; UCLA four-sport lettermanSignature Achievement: Broke MLB's color barrier in 1947 after being an NCAA long jump championYears Active: 1940-1956Overall Impact: 9.5/10

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Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Zaharias won two Olympic gold medals in track and field in 1932, then reinvented herself as a founding legend of the LPGA, winning 10 major golf championships. Along the way she also played AAU basketball at an All-American level, making her arguably the most versatile female ath

Sports Played: Track & Field, Golf, BasketballHighest Level Reached: Olympic gold medalist; LPGA founder and major championSignature Achievement: Won 2 Olympic golds in 1932, then dominated pro golfYears Active: 1930-1955Overall Impact: 9.5/10

added by IJRin 2 rankingsBabe Didrikson Zaharias

Jim Brown

Brown retired as the NFL's greatest running back at his peak, but he's also widely considered the best lacrosse player in history, dominating at Syracuse alongside football and basketball. Few athletes have ever been called the GOAT in two completely different sports.

Sports Played: Football, Lacrosse, BasketballHighest Level Reached: NFL Hall of Fame; Lacrosse Hall of FameSignature Achievement: NFL rushing legend widely regarded as history's greatest lacrosse playerYears Active: 1957-1965Overall Impact: 9/10

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Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain's 100-point NBA game is legend, but he also ran track at Kansas and, after retiring from basketball, played competitive professional volleyball into his 40s, even co-founding a pro league. His freakish size and athleticism translated across sports in a way few big men

Sports Played: Basketball, Track & Field, VolleyballHighest Level Reached: NBA Hall of Fame; pro volleyball competitorSignature Achievement: Scored 100 points in an NBA game, later starred in pro volleyballYears Active: 1959-1973 (NBA), 1970s (volleyball)Overall Impact: 8.5/10

added by IJRin 7 rankingsWilt Chamberlain

Lionel Conacher

Canada's 'Big Train' won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Black Hawks and a Grey Cup in football, while also excelling at boxing, lacrosse, and baseball at a national level. He was voted Canada's male athlete of the half-century, a title no one has seriously challenged since.

Sports Played: Hockey, Football, Boxing, Lacrosse, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NHL Stanley Cup champion; Grey Cup championSignature Achievement: Named Canada's Athlete of the Half-Century (1900-1950)Years Active: 1920s-1930sOverall Impact: 8/10

added by IJRLionel Conacher

John Elway

Elway was good enough at baseball to be drafted by the New York Yankees and play minor league ball, using that leverage to force his way out of Baltimore's NFL draft pick. He chose football, and the payoff was a Hall of Fame career and two Super Bowl titles with Denver.

Sports Played: Football, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NFL Hall of Fame; MLB minor leagues (Yankees system)Signature Achievement: Used a Yankees minor league stint as leverage to land with DenverYears Active: 1983-1998Overall Impact: 7.5/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsJohn Elway

Dave Winfield

Winfield remains the only athlete ever drafted by the NBA, the ABA, and the NFL despite never playing those sports professionally, choosing baseball instead. He turned that decision into a Hall of Fame MLB career spanning over two decades.

Sports Played: Baseball, Basketball, FootballHighest Level Reached: MLB Hall of Fame; drafted by NBA, ABA, and NFLSignature Achievement: Only player drafted by four pro leagues across three sportsYears Active: 1973-1995Overall Impact: 7.5/10

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Charlie Ward

Ward won the Heisman Trophy at Florida State in 1993 despite having no NFL suitors, then pivoted to basketball and carved out an 11-year NBA career with the Knicks. His story is the rare case of a Heisman winner never playing an NFL down.

Sports Played: Football, BasketballHighest Level Reached: Heisman Trophy winner; NBA (Knicks, 11 seasons)Signature Achievement: Won the 1993 Heisman, then built an 11-year NBA career insteadYears Active: 1993-2005Overall Impact: 7/10

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Danny Ainge

Ainge played parts of three MLB seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays before fully committing to basketball, where he won two NBA championships with the Celtics. He later became a Hall of Fame executive, giving him a rare front-office chapter to his multi-sport story.

Sports Played: Baseball, BasketballHighest Level Reached: MLB (Blue Jays); NBA champion (Celtics)Signature Achievement: Played MLB before becoming an NBA championYears Active: 1977-1995Overall Impact: 6.5/10

added by IJRin 3 rankingsDanny Ainge

Kenny Lofton

Lofton was a key reserve on Arizona's 1988 Final Four basketball team before switching full-time to baseball, becoming a six-time MLB All-Star and elite base-stealer. His path from hardwood to diamond is one of the sport's smoothest transitions.

Sports Played: Basketball, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NCAA Final Four (Arizona); MLB 6x All-StarSignature Achievement: Final Four run in 1988, then a 17-year MLB careerYears Active: 1988-2007Overall Impact: 6.5/10

added by IJRKenny Lofton

Brian Jordan

Jordan spent three seasons as a hard-hitting NFL safety for the Atlanta Falcons before switching to baseball full-time, where he became an MLB All-Star outfielder. Few athletes have successfully reversed the usual order, going from pro football into an All-Star baseball career.

Sports Played: Football, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NFL (Falcons); MLB All-Star (Cardinals)Signature Achievement: Went from NFL safety to MLB All-Star outfielderYears Active: 1989-2006Overall Impact: 6.5/10

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Marion Jones

Jones played point guard for North Carolina's national championship basketball team in 1994 before turning to track full-time, where she won three Olympic gold medals in Sydney in 2000. Her explosive speed traced directly back to her hardwood roots.

Sports Played: Track & Field, BasketballHighest Level Reached: Olympic gold medalist; NCAA champion basketball player (UNC)Signature Achievement: Won 3 Olympic golds in 2000 after a college basketball titleYears Active: 1991-2006Overall Impact: 6/10

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Cal Hubbard

Hubbard is the only person ever enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame, the latter for his second career as a legendary MLB umpire. His path from dominant lineman to feared umpire is one of sports' strangest and most unique dual careers.

Sports Played: Football, Baseball (as umpire)Highest Level Reached: Pro Football Hall of Fame; Baseball Hall of Fame (umpire)Signature Achievement: Only person in both the Pro Football and Baseball Halls of FameYears Active: 1920s-1950sOverall Impact: 6/10

added by IJRCal Hubbard

Ricky Williams

Williams was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school and played in their farm system before committing fully to football, going on to win the Heisman Trophy at Texas and star in the NFL. His willingness to walk away from pro baseball defined his college legend.

Sports Played: Football, BaseballHighest Level Reached: Heisman Trophy winner; MLB minor leagues (Phillies)Signature Achievement: Turned down a baseball career to win the Heisman and play in the NFLYears Active: 1995-2011Overall Impact: 5/10

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Drew Henson

Henson was a can't-miss two-sport prospect at Michigan, splitting time between football and baseball before the New York Yankees paid him millions to focus on the diamond. He never quite broke through in either sport, making him the cautionary tale of trying to do both at the hig

Sports Played: Football, BaseballHighest Level Reached: NFL (Cowboys, Vikings); MLB minor leagues (Yankees)Signature Achievement: Highly touted Michigan two-sport star who split his pro career between bothYears Active: 2001-2008Overall Impact: 4.5/10

added by IJRDrew Henson