Deion Sanders says he skipped school as a child to handle baseballs and broken bats

When Deion Sanders was in third grade, he said he often skipped school to make quick money by scouring local baseball games for scraps that could be sold.

The Colorado head football coach and NFL Hall of Famer was telling reporters at a news conference Tuesday about his childhood adventures with baseball collectibles when he noticed a reporter wearing a Kansas City Royals cap.

“In third grade I played with balls. I skipped school and brought my little sock with me. I hit all the runners when they hit the home run balls, and I got the balls and sold them during the game. That was my job. I always made sure to bring my teacher the best ball. Sanders said.

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Sanders was born and raised in Fort Meyers, Florida, by his mother, Connie Sanders, and her husband, Willie Knight. Sanders also started playing baseball at this time when he was eight years old, but that didn’t stop him from being an entrepreneur. Sanders specifically chose to collect the collectibles from the Royals’ spring training games in Fort Myers.

Sanders said the great royals George Brett and Amos Otis were his biggest role models back then.

“I would sit right there when they came out of the clubhouse, get their autographs and beg for broken clubs. Broken bats were about $10 or $15,” Sanders said. “A good home run ball [batting practice] was about $3.50.”

Sanders said he would even help clean out the batting cages and was allowed to keep some of the balls he cleaned up to take home and sell.

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July 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks to the media during Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. (Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports)

“That was my job,” Sanders repeated.

Then, after a brilliant high school career as a baseball and football player for North Fort Meyers High School, Sanders was drafted by the Royals. However, advice from late Royals manager Dick Howser helped him decide to turn down that offer and play football at Florida State.

“He was the one who said, ‘I heard you’re a pretty good football player. I would go to college and we’ll draft you back,'” Sanders said. “That’s why I went to play football, because they offered me a lot of money.”

Sanders became a two-time unanimous All-American at Florida State, the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, and made eight Pro Bowls while winning two Super Bowls en route to being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Deion Sanders runs across the field during warmups before Colorado’s game against Oregon. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK)

But Sanders also fulfilled his dream of playing in Major League Baseball as well. Sanders had a nine-year part-time baseball career, playing in left and center field in 641 games with four teams. But he never played for the Royals, instead eventually playing for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. Sanders finished his MLB career with a .263 batting average with 39 career home runs, 168 RBI and 186 stolen bases.

He no longer needs to sell baseball leftovers as his net worth is estimated at $45 million in 2024.

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