NFL icon Deion Sanders is among the most versatile sportspersons of his time. With a career in the NFL and MLB, the Colorado Buffaloes Football coach excelled in both sports. However, these weren’t the only two sports Prime Time excelled at. During his time competing as a college athlete, Sanders also showed promise in basketball and track and field.

While the two-time Super Bowl winner chose to pursue baseball and football, he had an impressive stint as part of the Florida State track team. Former sprinter Fitzroy Dunkley gave fans a window into the NFL legend’s impressive track times in college. “Deion ‘Primetime’ Sanders ran track and competed for FSU. He holds PBs of 100m: 10.26, 200m: 20.71,” Dunkley wrote on X.

The former track and field pro-turned-content creator also asked an interesting question. “Is Track and Field the foundation of all sports?” the Olympic silver medalist asked in his X post. However, looking at the Fort Myers native’s career, you could see why Fitzroy Dunkley would ask such a question. That’s because the NFL star had a pro career like no other.

Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Yankees, the Florida State University graduate joined an exclusive club. Sanders joined legendary athletes like Jim Thorpe and Bo Jackson as the few to play both baseball and football at a professional level. On the field, one of the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s biggest assets was his speed.

The collegiate track and field athlete showcased his incredible speed during the 1989 NFL combine. Prime Time sprinted his way to the fifth pick of the draft after running the 40-yard dash in 4.27 seconds. Had the 6× First-team All-Pro maintained that speed across 100 meters, it would put him in the same league as Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith Joyner.

Just a year prior, in 1988, Lewis and Joyner set the men’s and women’s 100-meter world records at 9.92 seconds and 10.49 seconds, respectively. Although comparing the Jim Thorpe Award winner’s track and field skills with world record times may be a stretch, his impressive speed helped him achieve the second-highest interception return yardage in the NFL with 1,337 yards. However, there’s yet another sport where Sanders had the option to turn pro.

When Deion Sanders nearly made it into the NBA

Besides track and field, the two-time All-American also dabbled in basketball. Thanks to his immense talent, simply dabbling was enough for Sanders to catch the eye of Stan Kasten. After joining the Atlanta Braves in 1991, Sanders participated in the celebrity slam dunk contest in 1992. His skills on the court immediately impressed Kasten, who was also the president of the Atlanta Hawks.

In a conversation with Sports Illustrated, Sanders explained how he also became a pro in three different sports. “I was close, I mean really close. This is a breaking story. I was really close to playing for the Atlanta Hawks for one game… When I was with the Braves…[Kasten] was going to allow me to play in an NBA game so that I could play three professional sports,” the 57-year-old told SI.

While the NFL veteran’s coaching gig with the Colorado Buffaloes has recently hit a few bumps, his abilities and accolades as an athlete make him a legend. When combined with his short-lived but elite achievements in track and field and basketball, it’s no surprise why athletes like Fitzroy Dunkley are still talking about Sanders’ achievements nearly two decades after his retirement. Do you think the two-time Super Bowl winner could’ve climbed to the top of the track world? Tell us in the comments.