St. Louis Cardinals: Brian Jordan the forgotten dual sport threat

Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brian Jordan began his professional sports career as a defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons. After giving up those dreams, he embarked on a long and fruitful Major League Baseball career.

When dual sport athletes are discussed, usually Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson headline all the conversations. Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brian Jordan seems to never get the respect he deserves.

Sanders and Jackson played football and when the seasons ended in January, set their sights on baseball in February. Basically they were year round athletes, playing one sport while the other was in the offseason.

Jordan tried his hand at professional football for three years as a defensive back in the Atlanta Falcons secondary before joining the sport which drafted him first. In 1985, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Jordan, who chose to go to college at Richmond instead of camp with the Cards. Jordan was drafted in the seventh round of the 1989 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills before beginning his football career with the Falcons. In 1991 he was an all-pro alternate after leading th team in tackles and adding two interceptions.

As a baseball player, Jordan was a part time player to begin with before taking over a spot in the outfield in 1995. That season saw him hit .296 with 22 home runs and 24 stolen bases. Throughout his days with the Cardinals, Jordan was a decent source of power and speed.

After hitting .316 with 25 home runs in 1998 Jordan tested free agency and signed with the Atlanta Braves. He paid immediate dividends for the Braves, earning a trip to the All-Star game in his first season and setting a career high with 115 runs batted in.

In the lone World Series he played in with the Braves in 1999, he struggled in the eventual sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees, hitting just .077.

Jordan would play for the Dodgers and Rangers before making his way back to the Braves to finish his career. After his three years in football, he put together a solid fifteen year baseball stanza finishing with a lifetime batting average of .282.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brian Jordan gets lost in the discussion of great two-sport athletes because of the shortness of his football playing days. He was a beast on both fields, however.