Deion Sanders was always "Prime Time."
Now, you'll see one of his most famous stories in prime time. The ESPN "30 for 30" documentary "Deion's Double Play" debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday on ESPN. It will detail the events of Oct. 11, 1992, when Sanders played for the Falcons against the Miami Dolphins in a NFL game before flying to Pittsburgh to for a National League championship series game for the Atlanta Braves.
Sanders is one of the most electrifying two-way pro athletes of all time — but don't forgot about his amazing feats in college at Florida State — with a nine-year MLB career and 14 seasons in the NFL. Because Sanders wore 21 most of the time in the pros, here are 21 amazing facts about Prime Time.
The decision to play both baseball and football on the same day had Deion Sanders torn.
— 30 for 30 (@30for30) January 30, 2019
"Deion's Double Play" premieres tomorrow at 9pm ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/kHRusO9fL1
Deion Sanders at Florida State
1. Sanders, a two-time unanimous All-American and Thorpe Award winner at Florida State, totaled 14 career interceptions with the Seminoles and remains tied for third all time in school history. Who is he tied with? None other than ESPN College GameDay analyst Lee Corso.
2. Sanders returned a school record four interceptions for touchdowns at Florida State, including a 100-yard interception return for a TD in a 76-14 victory against Tulsa on Oct. 19, 1985.
3. Sanders was a dynamic punt returner who has the school record for punt-return yards (1,429) and three TDs, including an unforgettable 76-yard return against Clemson in a 24-21 win on Sept. 17, 1988. FSU beat Auburn 13-7 in the Sugar Bowl that season.
4. Sanders hit .267 with 27 stolen bases for the Florida State baseball team in 1987. The Seminoles finished fifth at the College World Series.
5. Sanders also was a member of the track team, where he starred in the 100 and 200 as a freshman. NFL.com detailed the story about how he won both events at a meet and started for the baseball team that night. Sanders would later wow with that speed at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash in 1989.
Deion Sanders in MLB
6. Sanders made his MLB debut at 21 years old with the New York Yankees on May 31, 1989, against the Mariners. He made the Opening Day roster the following season.
7. Sanders' baseball career stretched from 1989 to 2001, and he played in 641 games despite not playing in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Sanders played for the Yankees, Braves, Reds and Giants.
8. Sanders finished with 186 stolen bases, which would rank 20th among active players today behind Mike Trout (189). Sanders, however, would still be ahead of Andrew McCutchen (185) and Matt Kemp (183).
9. Sanders led the majors with 14 triples for the Braves in 1992, despite playing in just 97 games. He also hit .304 in 303 at-bats that season.
10. Sanders put on an amazing performance in the 1992 World Series, which the Braves lost in six games to Toronto. Sanders led both teams with a .533 average (8 of 15), and he added four runs and five stolen bases.
11. Sanders hit .273 with 56 stolen bases for the Reds over 115 games in 1997, the only season in which he played in more than 100 regular-season games.
12. Sanders hit just 39 career homers, but perhaps none was more famous than the inside-the-park-homer against the Royals, which he hit over fellow two-sport standout Bo Jackson on July 17, 1990.
MORE: Deion Sanders says he'd advise Kyler Murray to pick baseball
Deion Sanders in the NFL
13. Sanders ranks 24th all time in NFL history with 53 interceptions. Sanders had multiple interceptions in each of his 14 NFL seasons.
14. Sanders is tied for fifth all time with nine interception returns for TDs. He had his best season with three pick sixes and a league-best 303 interception return yards for the San Francisco 49ers in 1994.
15. Sanders, who won a Super Bowl with San Francisco in 1994 and with Dallas in 1995, had five interceptions in 12 career playoff games.
16. Sanders had a 68-yard punt return for a TD against the Rams in his NFL debut with the Falcons on Sept. 10, 1989.
17. Sanders is tied for ninth all time with six punt returns for TDs. He also had three kickoff returns for TDs. Five of those return TDs came in his first four seasons with the Falcons. Sanders also led the NFL with 15.6 yards per punt return, with two TDs in 1998 for the Cowboys.
MORE: Deion Sanders almost played a game in the NBA
18. Sanders also had three receiving TDs. In Dallas' three-game playoff run in 1995, Sanders had three catches for 95 yards. That included a 47-yard catch in Super Bowl 30.
19. Sanders' last career interception came against Green Bay's Brett Favre in Baltimore's 48-3 "Monday Night Football" victory on Dec. 19, 2005. Sanders was 38 years old.
20. Including the playoffs, Sanders had TDs all the following ways: interception (9), punt return (6), kick return (3), receiving (3) fumble recovery (1), and rushing (1). He's one of two players in NFL history to score a TD six different ways.
21. Sanders ranks fourth all time in interception return yards with 1,331. Only Ed Reed (1,590), Rod Woodson (1,483) and Darren Sharper (1,412) have more.
