Oftentimes we see the image of Michael Jordan playing baseball when we think of athletes who played in the NBA and then tried another sport professionally, but that already existed long before Michael Jordan.
In the 1940s and 1960s, American professional sports leagues were very different from today, less popular leagues with much lower remuneration for players and a different importance in society and the economy. At the time, the training of athletes was much scarcer and many of the players themselves had a second job so they could make ends meet. This made those more physically prone to receiving offers to play in more than one league at different stages of their careers and lives.
One of the most memorable names of this era was Bud Grant, born in 1927 in Wisconsin who played baseball, basketball, and American football during high school and at the University of Minnesota, in addition to having a brilliant career at the NBA and also being an NFL champion and becoming an expressive coach. after the end of his career.
Check out some photos and the timeline of Bud's professional career:
(1950) - Drafted 14th by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL and 48th by the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL (now the NBA)
(1950-51) - Player for the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL (now the NBA).
(1951–1952) NFL Philadelphia Eagles player
(1953–1956) Canadian Football League (CFL) Winnipeg Blue Bombers player
(1957–1966) Becomes head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
(1967–1983, 1985) Returns to the NFL to coach the Minnesota Vikings
Championships:
1x NBA champion (1951)
4x CFL champion (1958, 1959, 1961, 1962)
1x NFL Champion (1969)
Bud is one of those names that triggered such possibility for so many other athletes after his era.