Brian Jordan
He smashed the barrier between pro football and baseball, becoming a rare two-sport star who excelled at the highest level in both.
Born 1967 (age 59)·American baseball and football player·Birthday: March 29·Generation X
Biography
Brian Jordan's athletic career reads like a piece of American sports folklore. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals for baseball out of the University of Richmond, he first chose a different path, playing safety for the Atlanta Falcons for three punishing NFL seasons. In 1992, he finally stepped onto the MLB diamond, bringing a football player's intensity to the outfield. With the Cardinals and later the Atlanta Braves, Jordan developed into a formidable power hitter and a defensive anchor, his 1999 All-Star season cementing his status as a legitimate star. His unique journey, marked by sheer physical durability and competitive fire, made him a fan favorite and a lasting example of multi-sport excellence in an era of increasing specialization.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Brian was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Brian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Earned a selection to the MLB All-Star Game in 1999 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
- Played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for four different teams, maintaining a career .282 batting average.
- Played three seasons as a starting safety in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons before his full-time MLB career.
- Hit over 20 home runs in a season three times, with a career-high of 25 in 1998.
- Was a key contributor to the Atlanta Braves' 1999 National League pennant-winning team.
Did You Know?
He was a first-team All-American in baseball at the University of Richmond.
He intercepted a pass from Joe Montana during his NFL career.
He hit a grand slam in his first MLB postseason at-bat in 1996.
After retirement, he worked as a broadcaster for the Braves' television network.
He founded the Brian Jordan Foundation to support underprivileged children.
“I chose the harder path because it was the right one for me.”
