Deion Sanders reveals he fought and beat bladder cancer

Deion Sanders kicked off his third season leading the Colorado Buffaloes by announcing his illness as the team began fall camp on Monday

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Jul 28, 2025, 11:09 AM Updated: 11:23 am

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Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders revealed on Monday that he’s been fighting “an aggressive bladder tumor.” Sanders, along with his medical team, shared that the coach had his bladder removed earlier this year, and he was cured of cancer.

The leader of the Buffs kicked off his third season in Boulder by announcing his illness as the team began fall camp on Monday. He said he will not be leaving CU.

“This was not an easy task; it was changing my lifestyle,” Sanders said. “Surgery number 14 since 2021, they (medical team) were so wonderful so that I could make an educated decison.”

Sanders shared a video over the weekend dating back to May, showing the legendary athlete becoming emotional as he just finished making a Will.

“You don’t want to be a fool and leave and not have your business in order, it’s funny because you’re ranking your kids again,” Sanders said. “I’m always positive, but I got upset when my body didn’t do the things I wanted it to do.

Sanders shared that he’s been dealing with a catheter and moving around with bags of blood and urine.

“Please get yourself checked out,” Prime urged, especially men. “Get checked out, it could have been a whole nother gathering if I hadn’t.”

“It’s been tough, I lost 25 pounds. I’m still dealing with going to the bathroom, I can’t pee like I used to pee… I can not control my bladder.”

Sanders is the only person to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series. Sanders, 57, joined 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 in his final year. He brought his star quarterback, his son Shedeur Sanders and future Heisman winner Travis Hunter with him to CU, where he was named the 28th coach in school history.

In Boulder, he’s lit a fire in the fanbase. Folsom Field has been packed, the school has raked in money and Coach Prime has turned into one of the biggest phenomena in sports. The on-field success hasn’t been as out of this world, but he has helped take Colorado from the basement of the Pac-12 to a respectable program in the Big 12. Overall, the team in 13-12 in Prime’s time, with an Alamo Bowl trip last fall.

In two years, his son Shedeur became one of the best quarterbacks in program history while Hunter made a case for the best athlete in the history of Colorado athletics. This helped draw eyeballs from across the world onto Boulder, where the community has seen many positive impacts directly or indirectly from Sanders being the football coach.

More famously than his coaching career, Prime is maybe the most accomplished modern-day two-sport star. 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.

“It’s beaten, amen,” Sanders said about cancer as he thanked God, his medical team and the school.

Sanders’ third season in charge of CU kicks off for real on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech.

“I’m back,” Sanders said. “Our staff is good enough, I didn’t need to babysit… I always knew I was going to coach again.”