In the modern era of the baseball world, Derek Jeter is synonymous with success. Pre-retirement, he played for two decades and led the Yankees to five world series wins.Not only this, Jeter won multiple awards in his glorious career to find his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. All this brought him fame, name, and attention, with millions following him as their baseball idol. But Jeter was already a star for many because of his exploits in another sport during his teens.

The Book, The Captain Journey of Derek Jeter, written by Ian O’Connor, talks about one such incident, which eventually became part of Jeter’s ever-lasting fame.

Derek Jeter Once Ditched Baseball to Win Over the Young Hearts

Everyone knows Jeter for his exemplary success on the baseball field. But he was more to it and once impressed a bunch of schoolgirls with his basketball skills.

On page 16, Connor describes the incident when Jeter was in the ninth grade. It reads, “As it turned out, Jeter made his ninth-grade mark with a basketball before he made one with a baseball.”

Connor shared Derek dribbled basketball around Kalamazoo Central service road and he came in sight of the Central girls’ basketball team.

He continued, “The players pressed their noses against the bus windows and expressed wonderment over the freshman?s commitment in the face of a late October chill.”

Connor further described the incident. “They were all saying, ?You know he?s going to be great. Of course, some of them were talking about how cute he was, too.?

Read More:- WATCH: Yankees Captain Derek Jeter Once Managed to Win Hearts Despite Shunning One Fan to Win Over Another With a Delightful Gesture

It was the first time Derek Jeter impressed someone with his skills. He continued to do so later on the baseball field. He also was successful on the basketball court but could repeat it in football.

A fear that stopped Jeter from playing football

Jeter was an outstanding athlete from the start. But with football, he had his struggles. He revealed the reason in conversation with a conversation with Cage Lawyer.

He respected the NFL great Barry Sanders, but did not play it because of a fear of death. Jeter said, “I did not play football when I was growing up because I was scared to death to play football.”?

But Jeter compensated for it with his exploits in baseball to reach the level of unmatchable greatness. Do you think the story could have been different if Jeter also played football? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box.