Deion Sanders was a massive name who succeeded in two sports and has remained relevant in the sports landscape to this day. Many claim he’s the greatest athlete to ever live. After all, he played nine seasons in the MLB and 14 in the NFL, becoming a Hall of Famer in the latter. But many forget about another dual-sport athlete from Deion’s generation: Bo Jackson. This led us to question which of the two was the better athlete.
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Let’s start by examining Deion’s career achievements. Prime Time was a prominent big game player and always showed out when it was needed most. He was known more for his football career.
In the NFL, Deion was a two-time Super Bowl champion, eight-time pro bowler, and a nine-time all-pro. As previously mentioned, he’s been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his efforts. Perhaps the most impressive part of Deion’s NFL career, though, was the fact that he played both cornerback and wide receiver. Which we haven’t seen since.
In the MLB, Deion’s achievements are admirable as well, but he never dominated the game. However, he did lead the league in triples in 1992 and finished with 5.5 career wins above replacement, meaning he was an above-average player over the course of his career.
Furthermore, Deion has extended his sports career into coaching. In two years in D-1 college football, he has a 13-12 record, and he’s 0-1 in bowl games. But he’s also developed two of the top five draft prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft and players reportedly love playing for him. It’s a long resume for Neon Deion. One that’ll be tough to beat.
But Bo is a worthy opponent. He’s one of the few guys to ever play in both the MLB and NFL as well. In the National Football League, he played for just four seasons, but he finished as a runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 1987 and made the Pro Bowl in ‘90.
Sadly, Bo’s NFL career came to an end after that Pro Bowl season. He suffered a freakish leg injury that cut off blood flow in his hip, resulting in tissue death. Bo never played a down in the NFL after the injury.
Unlike his counterpart, Bo Jackson had a pretty successful MLB career, albeit for a short period. He made an all-star game in 1989 and hit a home run in the game as well. He also displayed things on the field that hadn’t been seen before — like throwing a ball from the left field wall to home plate without the ball hitting the ground.
Bo is also the only athlete to ever secure both an MLB All-Star nod and a Pro Bowl selection in the NFL. He tried making a comeback in 1993 following his hip injury that ended his NFL career, but he wasn’t the same and was out by ‘94.
Today, Bo lives in Illinois as an active businessman. He also owns his own youth sports training facility called, “Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports”, and serves as the ambassador for the Kansas City Royals, his former baseball team.
In conclusion, both athletes were incredible figures in their time. Bo was more of an impact player over a short period, while Deion was more about longevity, which persists today. If we’re judging them based solely on career achievements, it’s hard to argue that Bo was better than Deion. He’s in the Hall of Fame for goodness sake.
Yet, it’s undeniable how great of an athlete Bo was. He was by far the most impressive athlete to ever exist. There are mythical stories about some things he did in his youth. And ESPN made a 30 for 30 that detailed just how incredible of an athlete he was. It’s a shame a freak injury derailed his career. He might be on the sports Mount Rushmore, up there with the all-time greats, if he had stayed healthy.
