Sports
Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders brought one of American sports' most recognizable two-sport careers to Dallas, winning Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys while remaining inseparable from a broader NFL and Major League Baseball story.
- Roster rank
- #121
- Category
- Sports
- Subject type
- Person
- Profile source
- Published Texas Icons profile
Texas story
Life and career
Deion Sanders was born in Fort Myers, Florida, starred at Florida State and became the rare athlete to play in both the NFL and Major League Baseball. His Texas claim is therefore professional rather than biographical: Dallas signed him in 1995 after his championship season with San Francisco.
Sanders helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XXX and played five seasons in Dallas. His larger football career included eight Pro Bowls, elite cornerback and return work, and a 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction, while his baseball career remained an important part of the public identity that made 'Prime Time' unusually cross-sport.
Defining work
What to know
- Super Bowl XXX
- 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame
- eight Pro Bowls
- NFL and MLB careers
Timeline
Key milestones
- 1989Begins NFL and Major League Baseball careers.
- 1995Joins the Dallas Cowboys.
- 1996Wins Super Bowl XXX with Dallas.
- 2011Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Texas connections
Places in the story
Dallas
Cowboys market during his 1995-1999 tenure.
Irving
Texas Stadium-era home field for his Cowboys seasons.
Legacy
Why the story lasts
Sanders's Texas importance comes from a championship Dallas chapter rather than Texas birth or upbringing.
His two-sport career and coverage skills made him one of the most distinctive athletes of his era.
Sources
Research trail
Cross-linked profiles