RetroSimba

The departure of Jack Clark enabled the Cardinals to take a chance on Brian Jordan.

On June 1, 1988, the Cardinals chose Jordan with a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds of baseball’s amateur draft. Jordan was a junior at the University of Richmond and excelled there at football and baseball.

Though Jordan was an intriguing talent as an outfielder, there was a genuine risk he would pursue a full-time career in professional football. The Cardinals, however, were in a position to take that risk because they had three picks among the top 30 in the draft.

When Clark, their top slugger, became a free agent and signed with the Yankees after the 1987 World Series, baseball’s basic agreement with the players’ union required the Cardinals to be compensated with two additional draft picks _ one in the first round and another in the supplemental round.

Using the Yankees’ first-round pick, the 22nd overall, as compensation for Clark, the Cardinals took University of Illinois pitcher John Ericks. With their first-round pick, the 23rd overall, the Cardinals got Virginia Tech pitcher Brad Duvall.

After 26 players were drafted in the first round, four supplemental selections were made before the start of the second round. The Indians, Orioles and Giants selected before the Cardinals, with the 30th overall pick of the draft, took Jordan.

Oh, Canada

The selection of Jordan received little public notice. Instead, the headlines went to the Cardinals’ first-round picks, Ericks and Duvall. Ericks struck out 108 in 87.1 innings as a junior at Illinois. Duvall, a Virginia Tech senior, was touted by Cardinals director of scouting Fred McAlister as “kind of a country boy who brings it. You should see him pitch,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

On June 28, 1988, Jordan still hadn’t signed and the Post-Dispatch speculated he “may return to Richmond to play football” rather than play in the Cardinals’ system. A week later, on July 7, more than a month after he was drafted, Jordan signed with the Cardinals after it was agreed he could play football at Richmond his senior season.

The Cardinals dispatched Jordan to their Class A farm club in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and he got into 19 games, batting .310. After bruising a bone in his right foot, he returned to school.

Jordan had a solid senior season for Richmond’s football team, got invited to play in the Senior Bowl and suffered an ankle injury. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the seventh round of the 1989 NFL draft.

Sidelined by the injured ankle, Jordan was limited to playing in 11 games for the Cardinals’ Class A St. Petersburg affiliate in 1989 before he reported to Bills training camp in July.

Hanifan helps

The Bills waived Jordan on Sept. 4, 1989, and he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons the next day. On Sept. 9, the Falcons placed Jordan, a defensive back, on injured reserve because of a broken foot.

After the Falcons lost nine of their first 12 games in 1989, head coach Marion Campbell resigned and an assistant, Jim Hanifan, was named interim head coach. Hanifan was head coach of the NFL St. Louis Cardinals from 1980-85.

One of Hanifan’s first moves after replacing Campbell was to place Jordan on the active roster. Jordan made his NFL debut on Dec. 3, 1989, against the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. Hanifan gave him his first NFL start on Dec. 24 in the season finale against the Detroit Lions. Jordan lined up at strong safety and made three tackles.

Falcons vs. Cardinals

The Cardinals, eager to evaluate Jordan on the diamond, invited him to their major-league spring training camp in 1990. Liking what they saw, they assigned him to their Class AA Arkansas club to start the 1990 season.

“This is going to be a big year for him,” said Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog. “If he does well in Double-A, then he’s going to have to decide between the two sports.”

Jordan’s baseball season, however, was a bust. He batted .160 in 16 games for Arkansas and injured his right wrist in May. After a stint on the disabled list, Jordan was sent to Class A St. Petersburg. He played in nine games, batted .167 and was sidelined for the remainder of the season when it was discovered he’d broken a bone in his wrist.

Jordan reported to training camp with the 1990 Falcons, who hired Jerry Glanville as head coach, earned a starting job and played in all 16 regular-season games, intercepting three passes.

The Cardinals again invited Jordan to their major-league spring training camp in 1991, though general manager Dal Maxvill openly wondered whether football was gaining the upper hand.

“He’s making more money with them (Falcons) now,” Maxvill said. “Obviously, we’re trying to get as good a look as possible. Hopefully, he’ll have some success and develop a real love for (baseball) because I can see him very shortly, if he’s in the $400,000 to $500,000 range, saying, ‘I’m going to pass on baseball.’ ”

Let’s make a deal

The Cardinals sent Jordan, 24, to their top farm club, Class AAA Louisville, to start the 1991 season. He batted .264 in 61 games before reporting to Falcons training camp.

Jordan was a starter for the 1991 Falcons, played in all 16 games and had two interceptions.

When he went to spring training in 1992, Jordan hoped to earn a spot on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster. Instead, he was sent to Louisville, but, soon after the season opened, Cardinals outfielder Felix Jose and first baseman Andres Galarraga got injured and Jordan was called up to St. Louis.

After batting .281 in May, the Cardinals gave Jordan a $2.3 million three-year contract, with the stipulation he quit playing football.

With his NFL career ended, Jordan went on to play seven seasons for St. Louis and batted .291. His best St. Louis seasons were 1996 (.310, 104 RBI) and 1998 (.316, 25 home runs, 91 RBI).