The best two-sport star nobody talks about was a St. Louis Cardinals phenom

When people discuss the greatest two-sport athletes of all time, there is discussion of Bo and Deion. Maybe an old timer will throw out Jim Thorpe. Rarely does the name of a former first-round pick for the Cardinals enter the conversation: Brian Jordan.

He played safety for the Atlanta Falcons and outfield for the St. Louis Cardinals. Although Jordan would eventually choose baseball over football. He went on to become one of the best defensive right fielders ever!

What did Brian Jordan's career look like when he was playing baseball and football?

Jordan was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round of the 1988 MLB draft out of the University of Richmond. Brian was sent to play for the Single-A Hamilton Redbirds. After a successful first year in the minors, Jordan was also selected in the 1989 NFL draft! The Buffalo Bills selected him in the seventh round. He was cut by the Bills and then picked up by the Atlanta Falcons where he served in a reserve role his rookie season.

At this point, it might seem clear that Brian Jordan was destined to play baseball over football, but that's not the direction the following seasons went. 1990 and 1991 saw Jordan struggle in AA and AAA ball. But his football career was picking up steam!

He earned a starting job in the Atlanta Falcons' defensive backfield in 1990. Jordan had 3 interceptions on the season - starting 15 games at strong safety. 1991 was even better as he led the team in tackles, had 4 sacks, and was voted as an alternate to the NFC Pro Bowl squad.

Jordan was a top-level defensive stud playing for a competitive Falcons team and hadn't yet played a game in the MLB. That all changed during the 1992 season.

Why did Jordan stop playing football?

Money.

Due to injuries on the major league roster, the Cardinals called up Jordan to debut on April 8th. He went 2 for 5 with 4 RBIs and a stolen base. He suffered a strained left hamstring on May 22nd but had made an impression with the big-league club in his 37-game premiere.

"Everyone talks about Deion Sanders. This kid, Jordan, doesn’t sell himself, but he’s better than Deion already. This kid is gonna put up some kind of numbers."

Cubs scout Hugh Alexander

On June 16th, the Cardinals made a bold move. They offered the youngster a three-year, $2.2 million dollar contract to play baseball exclusively. No more football.

The Falcons were supposedly offered Jordan around $500,000 a year, and Jordan made a business decision.

"It was a tough decision, but I talked it over with my wife and this is a good business decision. Hopefully, I’ll play this game for 15 years; in football, you never know what’s going to happen with injuries."

Brian Jordan

Certainly, Bo Jackson's hip injury in football over a year prior didn't help the case for the Falcons. Jordan kissed his football career goodbye and focused on the Cardinals. With one obstacle out of the way, Brian Jordan could focus on baseball and would surely be propelled to superstardom in no time!

Why didn't Jordan become a full-time starter until 1995?

Turns out hitting a baseball is hard! Jordan struggled to secure full-time at-bats in his first 3 big league seasons. In 1992, he only hit .207 on the season. 1993 saw his offense blossom with a .309 average, but his defense wasn't spectacular yet. In '94, his defense took a giant leap forward, but his offense took a step back. It took a trade of Mark Whiten to the Red Sox before Jordan received a full-time position for an entire big league season. And once he did, the 5-tool outfielder took off!

On the offensive side, Jordan was fantastic (outside of missing most of 1997 due to injury):

*1995 - .296 with 22 homers, 81 RBI, and 24 stolen bases

*1996 - .310 with 17 homers, 104 RBI, and 22 stolen bases

*1998 - .316 with 25 homers, 91 RBI, and 17 stolen bases

The more impactful part of his game was defense. While he wasn't recognized with Gold Gloves at the time, Jordan ranks as one of the best defenders in the game during these seasons with the Cardinals, according to modern defensive metrics. He ranks 5th among ALL right fielders in total zone with 144 runs saved. Jordan was a stud!

After his big 1998, Jordan signed with the Atlanta Braves as a free agent, and his career with the Cardinals ended. He continued to play well into his mid-30s and finished with a career WAR of 32.9 - significantly higher than Bo Jackson (8.3) and Deion Sanders (5.5). Brian Jordan certainly has a case for the best two-sport athlete of modern times based off of his performance!