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 played safety for the Atlanta Falcons for three NFL seasons before switching to Major League Baseball. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Richmond, he debuted in the MLB outfield in 1992. With the Cardinals and later the Atlanta Braves, he developed into a power hitter and defensive anchor. His 1999 All-Star season marked him as a legitimate star. Jordan's unique journey, built on physical durability and competitive fire, made him a fan favorite and a lasting example of multi-sport excellence in an era of 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.”
