1. In the early 1990s, current Denver Nuggets NBA star Allen Iverson played myriad positions for Bethel High School’s football team in Hampton, Virginia. According to a local newspaper at the time, “Iverson the quarterback passed for 1,423 yards with 14 touchdowns. Iverson the runner gained 781 yards with 15 touchdowns. Iverson the kick returner scored five touchdowns, four on punts. Iverson the defensive back intercepted eight passes.”
2. The only major league baseball player to have won a Gold Glove as both an infielder and an outfielder, Darin Erstad, was also the starting punter on the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team in 1994 and helped the team win the national championship.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James attended St. Vincent – St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio where he made First-Team All-State as a wide receiver in 2001. A mere three years later, he was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
4. While we all know about Jackie Robinson’s Brooklyn Dodgers debut in 1947, ending eighty years of baseball segregation, few are aware that Jackie also played basketball, tennis, track and field and was quite the quarterback for John Muir High School in Pasadena, CA.
Of course, there are many more professionals sports figures who played high school and/or college football before settling into another sport. Marlon Byrd, to name another. Why don’t we get a nice list going in the comments. Show off your smarts time!
Let me be the first to mention Bo Jackson, for obvious reasons.
posted by Chad Cloman on 5-1-2008 at 3:33 am
Actually, Allan Iverson’s high school days were more noted for his activities with a bowling ball…look up his arrest record from the riot.
posted by Boxdog on 5-1-2008 at 6:41 am
Iverson’s high school highlight reel is pretty impressive:
youtube.com/watch?v=FGSPihhTWrs
posted by Jason on 5-1-2008 at 7:31 am
Jim Thorpe may or may not count for this list; his athletic career is all over the map, and included football (college and pro), baseball (college and pro), track and field (college and Olympic), and even ballroom dancing (he won the 1912 inter-collegiate championship).
posted by jeem on 5-1-2008 at 7:53 am
He’s still in college, but Greg Paulus (the PG at Duke) was a top recruit as a quarterback as well.
posted by Nora on 5-1-2008 at 9:12 am
Antonio Gates was a basketball star at Kent State (one of the Elite 8 Golden Flashes) who is now kicking ass on the San Diego Chargers.
posted by Rachel on 5-1-2008 at 9:16 am
Jim Brown is in two halls of fame: the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was an All-American at Lacrosse at Syracuse as well.
posted by Tim on 5-1-2008 at 9:19 am
Dave Winfield was drafted by 4 teams in 3 major league sports, baseball, basketball, and football.
Dave Logan was drafted in 3 major league sports, baseball, basketball, and football.
They are the only 2 to do so.
posted by Vball23 on 5-1-2008 at 9:47 am
AI actually holds the VA state record for interceptions in a single game with 7.
Also of note, Randy moss starred on the same high school basketball team as NBA PG Jason Williams.
posted by Vince on 5-1-2008 at 9:53 am
Jackie Robinson in fact first played in 1946 for the Montreal Royals.
posted by Mique on 5-1-2008 at 10:20 am
Deion Sanders is the only person ever to play in both a World Series (Atlanta 1992) and Super Bowl (XXIX with 49ers and XXX with Dallas).
posted by Jeff on 5-1-2008 at 10:28 am
Let’s not forget the 1993 Heisman Trophy Award winner from Florida State University, Charlie Ward who went on to play for over a decade in the NBA.
posted by Chris on 5-1-2008 at 10:56 am
One of my favorite trivia questions is “Who was the first person in pro basketball to break a backboard?” Most people are surprised to hear the answer: “Chuck Connors” (yes, The Rifleman). He also played pro baseball. FROM Wikipedia: During his Army service Connors moonlighted as a professional basketball player at night. Following his military discharge in 1946, he joined the newly formed Boston Celtics of the Basketball Association of America. Connors left the team for spring training with Major League Baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers. He played for numerous minor league teams before joining the Dodgers in 1949, for whom he played in just 1 game; and the Chicago Cubs in 1951, for whom he played in 66 games as a first baseman and occasional pinch hitter.[1] In 1952 he was sent to the minor leagues again, to play for the Cubs’ top farm team, the Los Angeles Angels. Connors was also drafted by the Chicago Bears, but never suited-up for the team. Connors is one of only twelve athletes in history to have played for both Major League Baseball and in the NBA. He is credited with being the first professional basketball player to break a backboard. Connors jumped center and smashed the glass backboard in the first-ever Boston Celtics game on November 5, 1946 at Boston Arena[1]
posted by Scott on 5-1-2008 at 12:17 pm
Don’t forget Rockies first baseman Todd Helton. Gatorade’s High School Player of the Year in football and starting quarterback at Tennessee. When he was injured in his junior year, some guy named Peyton Manning stepped into the starting role. I hear he did alright as well…
posted by Kevin H. on 5-1-2008 at 12:40 pm
These are awesome! Thanks guys. And since you’ve taken it beyond football stars, let’s not forget Padres’ pitcher Chris Young. NBA’s Sacramento Kings offered him a two-year contract two years ago to give up baseball.
posted by David on 5-1-2008 at 2:19 pm
Go Big Red! Darin Erstad came into the restaurant where I worked in high school (in a town of 300 people). His wife is from the next town over (population 600). We all got our picture taken with him, because we didn’t get too many professional athletes through there. He was very tolerant and nice about it. He signed an order ticket for me. :)
posted by kate on 5-1-2008 at 3:43 pm
newport news.
aaron brooks [can i get a compass, but he was electric in his time and for a while in the NFL]
michael vick [once, special. now disgraced. still the lineage from newport]
allen iverson [should been a real baller ...boy what could have been]
charlie ward …h3LL0!
posted by alogicbit on 5-1-2008 at 5:54 pm
The only Heisman trophy winner to play in the NBA. Charlie Ward.
posted by Mark on 5-1-2008 at 6:02 pm
Don’t forget about Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer. He played quarterback in high school and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, Parade and USA Today Player of the Year after his senior year. He also turned down a scholarship from Florida St., to be the number 1 pick in the 2001 MLB draft.
posted by Andy on 5-1-2008 at 6:11 pm
Kenny Stabler was a pitcher for the Houston Astros for a short time before going to the Oakland Raiders
posted by harold on 5-1-2008 at 6:53 pm
Let’s not forget Byron (Whizzer) White, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (now the Steelers), and later for the Detroit Lions. He was appointed to the Supreme Court by John F. Kennedy, and served as an associate justice from 1962 to 1993.
posted by Ernie G on 5-1-2008 at 6:55 pm
Actually, Robin Yount won the Gold Glove as an infielder and as an outfielder, so it wasn’t just Erstad.
posted by steve on 5-1-2008 at 7:16 pm
Don’t forget Jeff Francoeur.
Braves Right-Fielder.
Star Football player for Parkview High School (#2 in the nation at the time with 2 seasons undefeated AAAAA), also was the star baseball player.
#3 In rookie of the year voting
Pure badass.
posted by Englasian on 5-1-2008 at 7:16 pm
Kirk Gibson was a hell of a TE @ Michigan State.
Iverson was actually first team USA Today All American in HS as a DB.
Danny Ainge played a few years in the Blue Jays farm system.
posted by Dan Isaacs on 5-1-2008 at 8:04 pm
Jim Elway should ring a bell, although, I believe any Pro Quarterback let alone superbowl/hall of fame quarterback would have the obvious arm strength and accuracy to pitch in high school. What I would really enjoy, is to find a pro who excelled in Cross Country. since that sport doesn’t really translate to any of the major sports in the USA.
posted by kolby on 5-2-2008 at 12:31 am
alogicbit:
Since you’re bringing up high school sports legends from the Newport News area of Virginia (Aaron Brooks, Michael Vick, Allen Iverson, and Charlie Ward), allow me to add one that you left out:
Ronald Curry
Didn’t Curry play football and basketball right down the road from Vick? In Hampton, unless I’m mistaken.
posted by WHEvansIII on 5-3-2008 at 11:16 am
It isn’t surprising that talented athletes also played football in High School. A lot of the time the most athletically talented kid gets the role of Quarterback or Running Back and in a lot of smaller schools the lack of numbers means kids tend not to specialize in a sport unless they are really destined to pursue it in College and beyond.
posted by mlvassallo on 5-3-2008 at 6:15 pm
This is going to be a little obscure, but Bob Sapp. He was a defensive lineman for the Washington Huskies and he was drafted by the Chicago Bears. He couldn’t cut it in the NFL, so he went over to Japan and became very successful in K-1. He’s one of the biggest sports stars in the Far East.
posted by Jim on 5-5-2008 at 1:34 am
Bo Jackson is the easiest example of (semi) success stories.
Music might not be a sport but how about Lars Ulrich of Metallica kicking butt on the drums and being a very successful tennis player out of California at a young age.
Just goes to show that all athletes should cross train like a madman
posted by Josh on 5-20-2008 at 9:52 am
Dave Winfield was drafted in 3 sports: football, basketball as well as baseball, Tony Gwynn was drafted in the other Futbol, basketball and baseball Chad Hutchinson, Drew Henson, John Lynch, Ricky Williams, Quincy Carter are among the many pro football players who played pro baseball Henson and Hutchinson spent some time in the majors. Kirk Gibson was a big flanker not a TE at MSU.
I’m from Tidewater and saw Iverson, at Bethel, Brooks and the 2 Vicks at Warwick as well as Curry at Hampton and Iverson had the best instincts of them all.
Both B.J and Justin Upton were solid football prospects, Carl Crawford almost went to Nebraska as a QB, Tony Gonzalez was a good cager at Cal, McNabb and Peppers were decent b-ballers, hurdler Roger Kingdom got as high as 2nd on the depth chart as a FS at Pitt, Montana almost went to Clemson for basketball. Bob Hayes, Ollie Matson, Hershel Walker, Ron Brown are football players who competed in the Olympics, the Cowboys drafted Carl Lewis, Renaldo Nehemiah had a short career with the 49ers, sprinter John Capel had a cup of Gatorade with the Bears, Tommny Smith and Rafer Johnson also had very brief football careers.
I could do this all night if I really thought about it.
posted by 11Bravo on 5-29-2008 at 2:40 am
Adam Dunn was Peyton Manning’s backup QB at Tennessee.
posted by Car RamRod on 10-20-2008 at 5:37 pm
B-Ball Hall of Famer Robert Parish ran cross country at Centenary.
posted by CelticGuy on 5-1-2009 at 11:05 am
As long as the discussion is branching away from “football + other sport,” let me bring up Tom Glavine. He was a standout hockey prospect as well. He was drafted by the LA Kings (ahead of Brett Hull) in addition to the Atlanta Braves. I seem to remember a picture of him, in his Braves uniform, on skates winding up for a slapshot. I may be just making that up, though. I’ve never been able to find it again.
posted by Jack on 5-1-2009 at 4:18 pm
Carl Crawford was offered a scholarship to play quarterback at USC, Florida, Oklahoma, as well as a basketball scholarship to UCLA, and actually signed a letter of intent with Nebraska to play football, when he ultimately decided to try baseball after being drafted by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
posted by Kim on 5-2-2009 at 10:23 am