Deion Sanders and the Sports Universe (Paperback)

~ Joseph G Nye (Author)
Key Phrases: sports cards, top overall pick, future teammate, Super Bowl, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves (more...)

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Product Description

Was one athlete so prominent that his career can be linked to every major sports icon of the 20th Century, from Jim Thorpe to Tiger Woods? Can one athlete's career possibly span Babe Ruth and LeBron James? In Deion Sanders and the Sports Universe, Joe Nye takes a fun, informative look at how "Primetime" can be connected, through teammates, to a variety of sports legends using the six degrees of separation format.

A two-sport star that played for eight different professional teams, Sanders was the quintessential modern athlete whose career connected him directly to the likes of future Hall of Famers such as Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and Barry Bonds and indirectly to players dating as far back as Ty Cobb, Sammy Baugh and Wilt Chamberlain.

For example, Sanders played on the 1989 New York Yankees with Don Mattingly, who had earlier played with Phil Niekro on the 1985 Yankees. In 1969, Niekro played on the Atlanta Braves with the great Hank Aaron.

Over the course of Deion Sanders and the Sports Universe, Nye takes you through connections to more than 400 superstars in a variety of categories, and ponders the ultimate question: Is Deion Sanders really the center of the sports universe?

About the Author

Joe Nye is a graduate of the University of Delaware, and a former radio sports card talk show host. He has reported on the Army-Navy game, NASCAR and college basketball. He lives in Bear, Delaware with his wife, Mary Lou, and their two children, Jackson and Sierra.

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (May 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059531564X
• ISBN-13: 978-0595315642
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,736,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!, November 2, 2007

By	Interplanetary Funksmanship "Swift lippin', e... (Vanilla Suburbs, USA) - See all my reviews

I haven't bought this book yet, so I don't know if the author has connected himself through six degrees to Sanders, but I can connect him -- through me!

Deion Sanders played football for the greatest NFL team in history (Nye would argue this point; he would say Green Bay Packers), the Washington Redskins, in 2000-01, before temporarily retiring, and after five seasons with Satan, er, I mean, the Dallass Cowboys.

Sonny Jurgensen, Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Skins as well as the Philadelphia Eagles, played for the Redskins 1972-73 squad that went to Super Bowl VII, and lost to the Miami Dolphins, in their record-setting undefeated season. Jurgensen was in the broadcast booth as the voice of the Washington Redskins while Sanders played for them.

Billy Kilmer, however, was Jurgensen's backup QB in Super Bowl VII.

On that team, served defensive back Brig Owens, whose prowess on the field in running interceptions for touchdowns helped the Redskins win the NFC Championship game by defeating Satan, 26-3 at RFK Stadium. Like Sanders, Owens got himself in good with the Lord by renouncing his allegiance to the Dallass Cowboys, of which he was a former member for one season, before spending the rest of his career with the Burgundy and Gold. In Super Bowl VII, Owens had a key interception off Dolphins' QB Bob Griese, which prevented the game from being a total blowout loss for the Redkins (they lost, 14-7).

In 1973, at a book signing at Woodward & Lothrop department store at the Capitol Plaza shopping center in PG County, Maryland, I met Brig Owens, shook his hand, while my mom paid for Owens's book, "Over the Hill to the Super Bowl" (Co-written with Chuck Cascio). I waited in line two hours to meet him. I was eight years old at the time.

Almost thirty years later, I served with the author of this book, SSG Joe Nye, as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard in the 444th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, between 2002-2004.

Voila, there it is!

This book should be made into a movie, "Six Degrees of Deion Sanders," starring Will Smith as the versatile athlete. (Kevin Bacon, of course, must be given a cameo).