Can Tebow avoid being a two-sport footnote?

As Tim Tebow continues his Major League Baseball dream this spring with the New York Mets, let us once again consider the two-sport athlete.

There have been great success stories that we’re all familiar with, from Bo Jackson to Clara Hughes to Deion Sanders to Brian Jordan.

Tebow, now  29, faces an uphill battle to make it to the majors after a five-year pro football career, so it would be quite the accomplishment for the former Heisman Trophy winner to find himself mentioned in the same breath with the likes of Jim Thorpe or Babe Zaharias. In all fairness to Tebow, considering his age and the fact that he hasn’t played organized baseball in years, he’s likely to be a footnote.

If that were to be the case, Tebow would find himself in a different pantheon of the lesser two-sport athletes. Let’s take a look at who the former Florida Gator might find himself alongside in that group.

Michael Jordan – You knew he’d be on this list. In 1994 when MJ walked away from the Bulls for 18 months, he joined the Chicago White Sox organization. Then 31, Jordan’s prowess with the Double-A Birmingham Barons was such that he reminded you how good a basketball player he was. In 119 games, Jordan just avoided the Mendoza Line, hitting .202 with three home runs, 50 runs batted in and an OPS of .556 (yikes). Jordan did manage to steal 30 bases, though. Jordan would go on to return to the Bulls in the middle of the ’95 season and play another three seasons with the team, winning three more NBA Titles. He would then retire permanently in 1998 (Let’s forget those two years in Washington).

Chad Johnson – Prolific Twitter user and six-time Pro Bowler, Ochocinco finally reached his first Super Bowl after what was a disappointing 2011 season with the New England Patriots. Following that season, Johnson would attempt to translate his talents to a different kind of football when he scored himself a trial with Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City during the NFL lockout. An avid fan of the sport, Johnson played soccer competitively as a kid.  Johnson wasn’t offered a deal following his trial, but was asked to continue training with the reserves. He declined and resumed his football career that saw him head north to the Montreal Alouettes.

Tie Domi – Wait, what? The beloved Maple Leafs enforcer actually has a pair of CFL games under his belt. The veteran of 1,020 NHL games and 3,515 penalty minutes, Domi suited up for a pair of Toronto Argonauts games in the 1996 and 1997 preseasons as a kicker. Domi wasn’t actually looking for a second act as a football player – it was all for charity. In an odd quirk, Domi actually has more CFL games under his belt than Steve Christie.

Tracy McGrady – T-Mac will likely be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame early next month, but if he’s ever going to Cooperstown, it’ll be because he bought a ticket. After retiring from the NBA in 2013 following a 14-year career, the seven-time All-Star decided to try his hand at pro baseball. McGrady, at the age of 35, joined the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Independent Atlantic League. You might remember that team’s name because it’s the one that Roger Clemens briefly played for in 2012. McGrady, a pitcher, would play four games for the Skeeters, going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA and WHIP of 2.100 over 6.2 innings pitched. He surrendered one home run and walked 10 of the 34 batters he faced.

James Toney – Widely considered one of the greatest defensive boxers of all-time, Toney was (is? He’s technically not retired) a three-time champion in three different weight classes in his illustrious career with fights against the likes of Roy Jones Jr. and Evander Holyfield under his belt. Even with a 76-10-3-2 record, debate still rages over whether or not Toney could truly be considered great because the man notoriously did not care for conditioning. He rarely trained for an opponent and while that was okay for most of his career in the sweet science, it ensured his mixed-martial arts career would be a short one. After calling out top fighters and ensuring Dana White that he was ready to go, the 41-year-old Toney signed with UFC.  The man nicknamed “Lights Out” got more than he bargained for when he was given the legendary Randy Couture as his first fight. "You will see how James Toney boxes. You will see that James Toney hits hard," Toney said to ESPN.com at the time. "You will see why James Toney hardly ever gets hit. As far as takedowns come, I welcome them. If he tries to take me down, it's going to be a short night for him. A very short night." It was a very short night. Couture took Toney down within :15 of the first round and Toney tapped out to an arm-triangle just over three minutes later.