Colorado Buffaloes hire Deion Sanders to lead football program

The Colorado Buffaloes are making a major splash, hiring Deion Sanders as their new head football coach.

Sanders, the only person to play in a Super Bowl and World Series—let alone win either and play in another, comes to CU after a few weeks of hot speculation. The former superstar athlete turned Coach Prime was announced as the 28th coach in school history by athletic director Rick George on Saturday evening.

Per a source, Sanders will earn upwards of $5 million per year on his recently inked contract.

Sanders, 55, joins the CU program from Jackson State University where in three seasons the Tigers went 27-5 and won back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. His time finished this season with a 12-0 record this season while Jackson State defeated Southern, 43-24, in the SWAC title game on Saturday.

“There were a number of highly qualified and impressive candidates interested in becoming the next head football coach at Colorado, but none of them had the pedigree, the knowledge and the ability to connect with student-athletes like Deion Sanders,” George said in a news release.  “Not only will Coach Prime energize our fanbase, I’m confident that he will lead our program back to national prominence while leading a team of high quality and high character.”

More famously than his coaching career, Prime is the only athlete ever to play in both a Super Bowl (twice) and the World Series. His Hall of Fame NFL Career included stints in Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington and Baltimore. The former Defensive Player of the Year for 1994, was named to the NFL’s All-Time Team in 2020. His athleticism could be seen nearly anywhere on the field as he returned punts and kicks and played wide receiver.

Meanwhile, Sanders played a total of 11 seasons in professional baseball, nine in the major leagues with the Yankees, Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Francisco.

At Jackson State, Sanders has been lauded for his advocating for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs.)

“Deion Sanders’ stature transcends sports, and his hiring elevates not only the football program but the university as a whole,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano in a news release. “I’m thankful Deion has chosen to join our Buffalo family and I applaud Rick George for a truly inspired choice.  This is an exciting new chapter in the long, storied history of Colorado football and I look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our students, supporters and fans to cheer on “Coach Prime” and our student-athletes next fall.”

Sanders’ first game as head coach for the Buffaloes will be next Sept. 2 at TCU, who may make the College Football Playoff in the coming days. His first home games follow a week later against rival Nebraska.

The “Coach Prime” docuseries from SMAC Productions will premiere later this month on Prime Video and cover Jackson State’s undefeated season and Coach Prime’s arrival in Colorado, according to the school.

Sanders is a famous broadcaster as well, spending 14 years appearing across networks.

The Florida State alum is the father of five children: Deion Jr., Shilo, Shedeur, Deiondra and Shelomi. Both Shilo, redshirt sophomore safety, and Shedeur. sophomore quarterbackm, are on the Tigers and it’s thought that Deion could bring them to CU with him.

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