Cardinals hire gunslinger

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI - The St. Louis Cardinals announced the signing of two-time All-American quarterback Sammy Baugh on this date in 1938. And, no, not the football Cardinals, they were still in Chicago at the time, the baseball Cardinals. Baugh had just graduated from Texas Christian University where he was an innovative quarterback who relied heavily on a seldom used offensive weapon - the forward pass. He earned the nickname Slingin Sammy.

Baugh also played third base for the Texas Christian baseball team. In fact, he was initially recruited for baseball and that was the sport he wanted to pursue. After signing with the Cardinals to play baseball Baugh was sent to the minor leagues. He didn't excel as well as he hoped and never played a major league baseball game.

Baugh played sixteen years in the National Football League, eventually being elected to the NFL Hall of Fame.

Here are some other noteworthy athletes who played more than one professional sport:

John Elway - New York Yankees minor leagues/Denver Broncos
Danny Ainge - Toronto Blue Jays/Boston Celtics
Dave DeBusschere - Chicago White Sox/New York Knicks
Chuck Connors - Chicago Cubs/Boston Celtics/TV's "The Rifleman"
Brian Jordan - Various MLB/Atlanta Falcons
Deion Sanders - Various NFL/Various MLB
Michael Jordan - Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards/Chicago White Sox minor leagues
...among others.

Contributing Sources:
United Press (UP), February 23, 1938, St. Louis Missouri
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Baugh#Baseball

This daily dose of baseball history is brought to you by TODAY in BASEBALL.