Deion Sanders recalls key role former Royals manager Dick Howser played in his life
As a kid growing up in Fort Myers, Fla., Deion Sanders spent a lot of time at the Royals’ spring-training facility.
Sanders would collect baseballs that cleared the fence during practice, then turn around and sell them to fans who arrived for Grapefruit League games.
Sometimes, Royals players like Amos Otis, Willie Wilson and John Mayberry would give balls to Sanders, who would get autographs to increase the value when he sold them.
Sanders eventually became a multi-sport start at North Fort Myers High School, and was picked by the Royals in the sixth round of the 1985 draft. Sanders also had a scholarship offer to play football at Florida State.
He wasn’t sure what to do until he had a talk with Dick Howser, who was the Royals manager at the time. Howser offered some advice that seemed contrary to the Royals’ best interest: go to college.
Sanders did what Howser suggested and was the fifth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1989 NFL Draft. He went on to play for five teams, make two Super Bowls and was a six-time All-Pro Selection. Because Sanders chose Florida State, he was eligible to be drafted by another baseball team and the Yankees took him in the 30th round in 1988.
In a nine-year career with the Braves, Reds, Giants and Yankees, Sanders collected 558 hits and 186 stolen bases in 641 games. He also played in the 1992 World Series with the Braves.
Sanders never played for the Royals, but he was certainly grateful for the advice Howser gave him. Sanders recalled that talk in an interview with The Players’ Tribune:
This story was originally published February 6, 2019 at 12:14 PM.
