This Day in Sports: Deion Sanders Pulls Off an Unforgettable Double-Duty Dash

ATLANTA — Long before “Prime Time” became one of the most recognizable names in sports, Deion Sanders was already proving there was almost nothing he wouldn’t attempt.

On this day in sports history, Oct. 11, 1992, Sanders embarked on one of the most ambitious days ever attempted by a professional athlete — playing an NFL game for the Atlanta Falcons before racing across the country to join the Atlanta Braves for a postseason baseball game later that night.

Sanders began his day in Miami, where the Falcons faced the Dolphins.

He returned two kickoffs and a punt, caught a pass for nine yards and contributed defensively as Atlanta battled Miami before ultimately falling 21-17.

But his day was nowhere near finished.

Immediately after the football game, Sanders boarded a flight to Pittsburgh before taking a helicopter to Three Rivers Stadium, where the Braves were preparing to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

By the time the baseball game began, Sanders was in uniform and sitting with his Braves teammates.

He never entered the game, however, meaning the historic achievement of actually playing in NFL and MLB games on the same day remained just out of reach.

Still, the moment became another chapter in the legend of “Prime Time.”

Sanders was not simply bouncing between two sports. He was competing at the highest level in both.

During the 1992 baseball season, Sanders led the National League with 14 triples. He would later shine in the World Series against Toronto, batting .533 with eight hits in 15 at-bats and five stolen bases.

His football career would eventually take him from Atlanta to San Francisco, Dallas, Washington and Baltimore, while his baseball career included stops with the Yankees, Braves, Reds and Giants.

And Sanders accomplished something no other athlete has matched: appearing in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

Thirty-four years later, there is a fitting Atlanta connection.

The Falcons return home tonight to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to host the Baltimore Ravens — another franchise Sanders would eventually suit up for during his Hall of Fame football career.

Atlanta enters the Sunday night matchup at 2-2 following back-to-back road victories, including a 45-24 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.

The Ravens enter at 3-1.

Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with the game airing nationally on NBC.

So on a day already connected to one of the most memorable moments in Deion Sanders’ incredible two-sport career, the Falcons return under the primetime lights once again.

Different era. Different team.

But in Atlanta, tonight will always have a little bit of Prime Time attached to it.