The most notable two-sport professional athletes of all time

A two-sport standout at BYU during the 1970s, Ainge first took his crack at Major League Baseball. In 211 games with the Toronto Blue Jays from 1979-81, Ainge batted .220, with two homers and 128 strikeouts while playing mostly at second base. It was on the basketball court, obviously, where Ainge left his mark of success. He played 14 NBA seasons (1982-95), won two titles with Boston, was an All-Star as a Celtic in 1987-88 and averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 assists in more than 1,000 games.

Brown's claim to fame was being a standout defensive back for the Green Bay Packers. During his time with the storied franchise, Brown was part of three NFL championship teams (1965-67) and those Packers squads that won the first two Super Bowls. During his six NFL seasons, Brown recorded 13 interceptions and recovered six fumbles. However, Brown also played one season of Major League Baseball. That came for the Washington Senators in 1963, when Brown played in 61 games, batting just .147 with a homer and 45 strikeouts as a first baseman.

We'll head to Canada for this versatile athlete, who in his post-pro sports life was a prominent politician. Conacher first starred on the football field, scoring 14 touchdowns during the 1921 season for the Toronto Argonauts, who defeated Edmonton and won the first-ever Grey Cup that year. Following his run with the Argos, Conacher laced up the blades and enjoyed a Hall of Fame NHL career. From 1925-37, Conacher played for four teams. He won his first Stanley Cup as a member of the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934, then added another with the Montreal Maroons one season later.

Conley, interestingly enough, was one of a few athletes to play two sports at roughly the same time. On the diamond, his major-league career spanned 1952-63, and included four All-Star nods, mostly with the Milwaukee Braves. Conley went 91-96 with a 3.82 ERA and recorded 888 strikeouts. Meanwhile, from 1952-53, and again from 1958-64, Conley played forward for the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. During his 351-game NBA tenure, the 6-foot-8 Conley average 6.3 rebounds and 5.9 points. He's one of two athletes to claim a league championship in two of the four major North American sports: winning the 1954 World Series with the Braves and three titles as a Celtic (1959-61).

The 1960s were quite busy for the multi-talented DeBusschere. It began in 1962, with a two-season MLB stint for the Chicago White Sox. In 36 mound appearances, with 10 starts, Debusschere went 3-4 with a complete game and decent 2.90 ERA. Of course, it was on the hardcourt that DeBusschere made his bones. In 13 seasons from 1962-74, DeBusschere averaged 16.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and nearly 3 assists per game while playing for Detroit and New York. He was named an All-Star eight times, helped the Knicks win two titles in the early '70s and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.

One of the great running backs in Penn State history, Dozier didn't live up to his first-round draft status during a five-season NFL career (1987-91). He gained just 691 yards and rushed for seven touchdowns, while catching 33 passes and two TDs for Minnesota and Detroit. Meanwhile, sports fans of a certain age likely also forget that Dozier had a cup of coffee in the majors. Dozier was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1983, but never signed and opted for college. It would be almost 10 years later, though, that Dozier eventually made it to the big leagues. In his only major-league season of 1992, Dozier split time in the infield and outfield over 25 career games for the New York Mets. He batted .191, and struck out 19 times in 47 at-bats.

Gibson is the greatest pitcher in St. Louis Cardinals history and one of the all-time best in Major League Baseball history (two Cy Young Awards, two-time World Series champion, 1968 NL MVP,  251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 ERA). But what many baseball fans probably do not know is that Gibson actually played one season of professional basketball — albeit with the Harlem Globetrotters during the 1957-58 campaign, and one year before debuting in the majors. Gibson was a standout hooper at Creighton, but never got a serious shot in the NBA. He did, however, show off some nifty ball-handling skills while making about $500 a month as a Globetrotter.

We touched on Gene Conley as one of two people to win a championship in two of the four major North American professional sports leagues. In what's likely a surprise to some, Graham was the other. Sure, Graham is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, winning three NFL championships during the 1950s with the Cleveland Browns and a three-time NFL MVP (with record career 8.63 yards per pass attempt). However, Graham also played one season for the Rochester Royals (currently the Sacramento Kings) of the National Basketball League. In 32 games during the 1945-46 campaign, Graham averaged 5.3 points for the league-champion Royals.

The father of the NFL, Halas was a player-coach for the famed Decatur Staleys in the early 1920s. Halas was a star receiver (All-Pro, in fact) for the Staleys, who would become the Bears when he moved the franchise to Chicago. Of course, Halas's football legacy is well told, but how many sports fans knew he was also a pretty good baseball player? In 1919, Halas played 12 games for the New York Yankees, patrolling the outfield while going 2-for-12 with eight strikeouts. Not exactly Hall of Fame numbers, but that level of success was awaiting Halas in the football world.

At 6-9, and following a successful college career at Washington State, Hendrickson played 114 games over four NBA seasons (1997-2000). While playing in Philadelphia, Sacramento Cleveland and New Jersey, Hendrickson averaged just 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds. Hendrickson then turned his attention to the diamond, where he enjoyed a lengthier career as a big-league pitcher for five teams from 2002-11. The left-hander, who won 10 or more games twice with Tampa Bay, compiled a 58-74 career record in 328 appearances, and 166 starts, with a 5.09 ERA.

A two-sport star at Michigan, Henson first took aim at MLB success. However, his big-league career lasted all of eight games with the New York Yankees, during the 2002 and '03 seasons. The third baseman went 3-of-9 with three strikeouts. When it came to his NFL career, Henson's actual time on the football field wasn't much more extensive, but quite interesting. It began in 2004 with two seasons as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He played in seven games with one start in '04. From there, Henson spent time playing in NFL Europe, then returned to the NFL for a practice-squad stint with Minnesota. Henson's NFL career ended after spending 2008 with the Detroit Ions. In total, his NFL tenure spanned eight games, going 11-of-20 for 98 yards with a touchdowns and an interception.

One of the most successful female boxers of all time. Among her titles, Holm, whose boxing career began in 2002, was both the WBF Female World Light Welterweight and Welterweight champion. In fact, she's posted 33 wins in 38 total bouts and recorded 16 title defenses that have encompassed three different weight classes. In the world of mixed-martial arts, Holm was the UFC Women's Bantamweight champion, and noted for handing Ronda Rousey her first loss at UFC 193 in November 2015.

When it comes to the quintessential two-sport superstar athlete, it begins and ends with Bo Jackson. Come on — there was an entire marketing campaign that revolved around Jackson's MLB and NFL success. He played both during some of the same seasons, rushing for 2,782 yards, 16 touchdowns and earning a Pro Bowl nod with the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987-90. Jackson accomplished that while also batting .250 with 141 home runs, 413 RBI and 82 stolen bases during an eight-season big-league career (1986-94) spent mostly with Kansas City, which also included a memorable All-Star Game appearance in 1989.

Though not quite to the level of Bo Jackson, Jordan fared rather well playing in the NFL and Major League Baseball. Jordan enjoyed a longer pro career on the diamond than the gridiron. He played 15 seasons in the majors (1992-2006), with the first seven as a St. Louis Cardinal. The outfielder was a career .282 hitter, who clubbed 184 homers with 821 RBI, and was named an All-Star in 1999. Before that, Jordan spent three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (1989-91), seeing action in 36 games and recording five interceptions.

Nevers is one of the greatest players ever strap on a football helmet, starring for the Duluth Eskimos and Chicago Cardinals from 1926-31. A threat as a runner and passer, Nevers rushed for 38 touchdowns during his Hall of Fame NFL career. Nevers also did a little pitching at the major-league level. From 1926-28, Nevers went 6-12 with a 4.64 ERA during 44 appearances for the St. Louis Browns. He also went 12-for-60 at the plate while striking out 18 times as a big leaguer.

There have been several NFL players to step into the boxing ring, and they achieved various levels of success. Then there is Powell, who played in the NFL with San Francisco and Oakland from 1952-61. At age 19, Powell was the youngest player to make his NFL debut at the time. In his first start, he sacked Detroit legend Bobby Layne. Powell also enjoyed a relatively successful boxing career, going 25-11-3. He was also knocked out in the third round against Cassius Clay (before Clay was known as Muhammad Ali) in 1963 and lost to Floyd Patterson.

Outside of Bo Jackson, Sanders is probably the most notable — and popular — modern-day two-sport, professional sports star. Sanders holds the distinction of being the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and World Series. Sanders won two Super Bowls, was a six-time First-Team All-Pro and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1994) during his Hall of Fame NFL career that ran from 1989-2005. Meanwhile, Sanders also spent parts of nine seasons patrolling the outfield in the majors (1989-95, '97, 2001) with the New York Yankees, Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Francisco. In 614 career games, Sanders hit .263, clubbed 39 homers and stole 186 bases while keeping that "Primetime" approach.

Yes, Tebow never played at the major-league level, but his professional baseball experience in the minors proved to be quite intriguing. From 2016-19, Tebow spent time in the New York Mets system, progressing from the Arizona Fall League to Triple-A Syracuse. In 77 games for Syracuse in 2019, Tebow batted just .163, after hitting .273 at the Double-AA level one year earlier. It was a rather valiant effort for the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, who started 16 of 35 NFL games with Denver and the New York Jets from 2010-12. Tebow only completed 47.9 percent of his career passes, but memorably led the Broncos to a playoff win over Pittsburgh during the 2011 season, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a score.

Is Thorpe the greatest, most versatile athlete of all time? There's certainly an argument to be made for his case, regardless of time period. Thorpe's Hall of Fame football career included professional stops with such storied franchises as the Canton Bulldogs (1915-17, 1919-20, '26), New York Giants (1925) and Chicago Cardinals (1928). In addition, he played professional baseball during parts of six seasons from 1913-19. Playing outfield in nearly 300 games and batting better than .280, Thorpe spent most of his baseball career with the New York Giants.

"The Flying Tomato" is a three-time Olympic gold-medal winning snowboarder, who as of February 2024 also won 13 golds in slopestyle and superpipe at the X Games from 2003-13. In addition, the outgoing and seemingly always cheerful White claimed two gold medals in skateboarding at the X Games. Both came in the vert competition, with the first in 2007 and the other in 2011. In addition, White has won numerous silver and bronze medals at the X Games on both the snow and concrete.