Path Between Pro Quarterbacks, Baseball Is Well-Worn
SEE ALSO: QBs Have Rich Baseball History
SEE ALSO: Baseball QBs
SEE ALSO: How Good A Baseball Prospect Is Jameis Winston?
SEE ALSO: More on Hutchinson
Tim Tebow is going to give pro baseball a shot. While it is an interesting story, it is not quite unprecedented.
In fact, nearly two dozen men who were professional quarterbacks also played pro baseball in some form. Tebow, if his plan ends up working, can join this list.
Please note, these are just players who actually played both pro football as quarterbacks and pro baseball. So no Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Michael Vick, Steve McNair, Colin Kaepernick or others who were drafted by MLB franchises but never actually played pro baseball. Others who played pro baseball but never appeared in professional football game, such as Josh Booty, are also not listed.
FOOTBALL TO BASEBALL
This is what Tebow is attempting to do, play pro baseball after a professional football career at quarterback. It is a short list of players who have done it, with not much track record of success. Interestingly, the three individuals who played pro baseball after pro football all ended up returning to football in some capacity.
Football career: Miami Dolphins, 2009; Washington Redskins, 2013; Edmonton Eskimoes (CFL), 2014
Baseball career: Royals, of, 2010; topped out in Rookie ball
The rundown: The Dolphins drafted White in the second round of the 2009 draft after a standout career at West Virginia but released him after just one season. White, who was drafted in the fourth round out of high school by the Angels in 2004, signed a minor league deal with the Royals but never made it past the instructional league and failed to report to spring training in 2011, after which he announced his retirement from baseball. The Marlins offered him a contract in 2013 but White did not sign, instead going back to football and signing with the Redskins, for whom he played in the preseason but was cut before the start of the regular season. He finished his football career with one season in the CFL before retiring.
DANNY KANELL
Football career: New York Giants, 1996-98; Atlanta Falcons, 1999-2000; Denver Broncos, 2003
Baseball career: Newark (independent), 1b, 2001
The rundown: Kanell spent five seasons as a backup quarterback in the NFL before giving baseball a try. A two-time baseball draft pick—out of high school by the Brewers in 1992 and out of Florida State by the Yankees in 1995—Kanell signed an independent league contract in 2001 but played in only 27 games. Two years later, he was back in the NFL. Note Kanell was 28 in his lone season of pro baseball, the same age as Tebow now.
TURNER GILL
Football career: Montreal Concordes (CFL), 1985-86
Baseball career: Indians, ss, 1986-88; topped out at Double-A
The rundown: Gil started in the CFL after a standout college career at Nebraska, but concussions ended his football career after two seasons. A two-time baseball draftee—in the second round out of high school by the White Sox in 1980 and in the 18th round out of Nebraska by the Yankees in 1983—he decided to give baseball a shot with his football career over and signed with the Indians in May 1986. He played three seasons in the minors before returning to football as a college coach, where he has climbed the ladder to become a prominent Division I head coach. He is now the head coach at Liberty after previously being the head man at Buffalo (2006-09) and Kansas (2010-11).
BASEBALL TO FOOTBALL
The list of athletes who played pro baseball first before playing quarterback in the NFL—the opposite of what Tebow is doing—is much longer, with most of the success stories as well.
JOHN ELWAY
Baseball career: Yankees, of, 1982; topped out in short-season ball
Football career: Denver Broncos, 1983-98
The rundown: Elway’s story has been well-told by now. He had a successful summer in the Yankees system in 1982 (.318/.432/.464 slash line) between his junior and senior year at Stanford and used the threat of playing baseball to force a trade from the Baltimore Colts after they drafted him No. 1 overall in 1983. He went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Broncos as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks of all time.
RUSSELL WILSON
Baseball career: Rockies, 2b, 2010-11; topped out in low Class A
Football career: Seattle Seahawks, 2012-present
The rundown: Wilson played baseball in his summers while playing college football at N.C. State, and disagreements with then-coach Tom O’Brien about baseball were a factor in his decision to transfer to Wisconsin for his final year. While he has become a Pro Bowl NFL quarterback, Wilson has still kept baseball in his back pocket, playing for the Texas Rangers in spring training in 2014 and ’15 after they acquired him in Triple-A portion of the 2013 Rule 5 draft. Wilson is still officially a member of Triple-A Round Rock’s roster.
JAY SCHROEDER
Baseball career: Blue Jays, c/of, 1980-83; topped out in low Class A
Football career: Washington Redskins/Los Angeles Raiders/Cincinnati Bengals/Arizona Cardinals, 1985-94
The rundown: Schroeder was the third overall pick of the 1979 draft by the Blue Jays out of high school and hit .213/.339/.343 in four seasons. He played one season of college football during that same time, appearing in 11 games—starting one—for UCLA in 1980. After walking away from baseball, the Redskins drafted Schroeder in the third round in 1984 despite the fact he had not taken a snap in four years. He rewarded that faith by taking over their starting job quickly and earning a Pro Bowl selection two years later in 1986.
CHRIS WEINKE
Baseball career: Blue Jays, 1b, 1991-96; topped out in Triple-A
Football career: Carolina Panthers/San Francisco 49ers, 2001-02, 2005-07
The rundown: Weinke was a second-round selection of the Blue Jays in 1991 and reached Triple-A by 1995 before stalling. He went back to college at Florida State and won the Heisman Trophy in 2000—at age 28—before being drafted in the fourth round by Carolina in 2001 and embarking on a five-season NFL career.
Baseball career: Yankees/Dodgers/Royals, rhp, 2002-06; topped out in high Class A
Football career: Cleveland Browns/Dallas Cowboys/Houston Texas, 2012-present
The rundown: Weeden was once a well-regarded pitching prospect, drafted in the second round by the Yankees in 2002 and traded to the Dodgers as a key piece in the Kevin Brown trade. While his pitching promise never came to fruition, Weeden returned to college at age 23 used his arm strength to become a decorated quarterback at Oklahoma State. He was a first-round pick of the Browns in 2012 despite his advanced age (28).
Baseball career: Cardinals, rhp, 1998-2001; reached majors
Football career: Dallas Cowboys/Chicago Bears, 2002-04
The rundown: Hutchinson is one of the few athletes to actually play in the majors as well as the NFL. A first-round pick (No. 26 overall) out of high school in 1995 by the Braves, he elected to go to Stanford and be a two-sport athlete. He was a two-year starting quarterback at Stanford but went to baseball full-time when he was drafted in the second round by the Cardinals in 1998. He was a two-time BA Top 100 prospect—No. 42 in 1999 and No. 45 in 2000—and reached the majors in 2001, pitching in three games in relief. After that stint he turned his attention to football, and the Cowboys signed him to a three-year, $8.1 million contract after an open workout in 2002 despite not taking a snap since 1998.
Baseball career: Yankees, 3b, 1998-2003
Football career: Dallas Cowboys/Detroit Lions, 2004, 2008
The rundown: Henson was drafted in the third round out of high school by the Yankees in 1998 and played his first three seasons in the minors while also playing college football at Michigan. He began playing baseball exclusively in 2001 and was ranked the No. 9 prospect on the BA Top 100 before the 2002 season. He reached the majors in 2002, ultimately playing in eight total MLB games. The Houston Texans drafted Henson in the sixth round in 2003 despite his assertions he did not want to play football and the fact he had not taken a snap since 2000, but after his career petered out with the Yankees he gave football a shot and ended up appearing in nine career NFL games.
QUINCY CARTER
Baseball career: Cubs, of, 1996-1999; topped out in high Class A
Football career: Dallas Cowboys/New York Jets, 2001-04
The rundown: Carter was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 1996 but hit just .217 in three-plus seasons in their system. While struggling in 1998 he signed a letter of intent with Georgia and began playing college football there. After playing both football at Georgia and baseball in the Cubs system in 1998, he dropped baseball for good in 1999 and went on to become an All-SEC selection and a second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2001.
Baseball career: Braves, of, 2007, topped out in Rookie ball
Football career: Pittsburg Steelers/Baltimore Ravens 2008-12
The rundown: Dixon was a Heisman Trophy contender for Oregon in 2007 and famously was drafted in the fifth round by the Braves that year despite the fact Oregon did not even have a baseball program at the time. Dixon hit .176 in 28 games in the Braves system and went on to the NFL after being picked in the fifth round by the Steelers in 2008.
AKILI SMITH
Baseball career: Pirates, of, 1993-95; topped out in short-season A
Football career: Cincinnati Bengals, 1999-2002
The rundown: Smith was a seventh-round pick of the Pirates in 1993 and hit .176 in three seasons in their organization before heading to Oregon to play college football. There he became one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Ducks history and was the No. 3 overall selection in the 1999 NFL draft.
TONY BANKS
Baseball career: Twins, of, 1991; topped out in Rookie ball
Football career: St. Louis Rams/Baltimore Ravens/Washington Redskins/Houston Texans, 1996-2005
The rundown: Banks was a 10th-round pick of the Twins in 1991 out of high school and hit .228/.279/.281 in 17 games with their Gulf Coast League affiliate before heading to Michigan State to play college football. He ultimately became a second-round pick of the Rams in the 1996 NFL Draft.
RICHARD BARTEL
Baseball career: Reds, rhp, 2001-02; topped out in Rookie ball
Football career: Arizona Cardinals, 2010-11
The rundown: A 17th-round pick in 2001, Bartel pitched eight games in the Reds system before heading to play college football at SMU in in 2003. After bouncing around as a practice squad quarterback, he saw his first NFL game action with the Cardinals in 2010 and appeared in three in his NFL career.
CHRIS MILLER
Baseball career: Mariners, ss, 1986; topped out in low class A
Football career: Atlanta Falcons/Los Angeles-St. Louis Rams/Denver Broncos, 1987-95, 1999.
The rundown: Miller was standout quarterback at Oregon and played pro baseball the summer between his junior and senior year after being a fifth-round pick of the Mariners in the January phase of the draft. Miller hit .148 in 30 games that summer, returned to Oregon for his senior year and ended up the 13th overall pick of the 1987 NFL Draft.
BUBBY BRISTER
Baseball career: Tigers, of, 1981; topped out in Rookie Ball
Football career: Pittsburgh Steelers/Philadelphia Eagles/New York Jets/Denver Broncos/Minnesota Vikings, 1986-2000
The rundown: Playing under his given first name Walter, Brister was a fourth-round pick of the Tigers out of high school in 1981 and hit .180 in 30 games before hanging up his spikes to play football. He played quarterback at Tulane and Louisiana-Monroe for two years each before being drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 1986 draft and having a 14-year NFL career.
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