Deion Sanders

Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American football coach and former player who is the head football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. Nicknamed "Prime Time", he played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. Sanders was also a baseball outfielder for nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He won two Super Bowl titles and made one World Series appearance in 1992, making him the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.

Deion Sanders

Sanders with the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024

Current positionTitleHead coachTeamColoradoConferenceBig 12Record4–8Biographical detailsBornAugust 9, 1967 (age 56)
Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.Alma materFlorida State UniversityPlaying career1985–1988Florida State1989–1993Atlanta Falcons1994San Francisco 49ers1995–1999Dallas Cowboys2000Washington Redskins2004–2005Baltimore RavensPosition(s)Cornerback
Return specialistCoaching career (HC unless noted)2012–2013Prime Prep2015–2016Triple A (TX)2017–2020Trinity Christian (TX) (OC)2020–2022Jackson State2023–presentColoradoHead coaching recordOverall31–14Bowls0–2Accomplishments and honorsChampionshipsAs a coach

• 2× SWAC (2021, 2022)
• 2× SWAC East (2021, 2022)

As a player

• 2× Super Bowl (XXIX, XXX)

AwardsAs a coach

• SI Sportsman of the Year (2023)
• Eddie Robinson Award (2021)
• 2× SWAC Coach of the Year (2021, 2022)

As a player

• NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1994)
• 6× First-team All-Pro (1992–1994, 1996–1998)
• 2× Second-team All-Pro (1991, 1999)
• 8× Pro Bowl (1991–1994, 1996–1999)
• NFL kickoff return yards leader (1992)
• NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (1989)
• Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor
• Jim Thorpe Award (1988)
• 2× Unanimous All-American (1987, 1988)
• Third-team All-American (1986)
• Florida State Seminoles Jersey No. 2 honored

College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2011 (profile)

Sanders played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, where he won the Jim Thorpe Award as a senior. He was selected by the Falcons fifth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft and played football primarily at cornerback, while also making appearances as a return specialist and wide receiver. During his career, he was named to eight Pro Bowls, received six first-team All-Pros, and made consecutive Super Bowl appearances in Super Bowl XXIX with the 49ers and Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys, winning both. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

After retiring as a player, Sanders pursued a sports analyst and coaching career. He served as the head football coach for the Jackson State Tigers from 2020 to 2022, leading the team to two consecutive Celebration Bowl appearances and the first undefeated regular season in school history. Near the end of the 2022 season, Sanders was named the head football coach at Colorado.