Coach Prime: Who is Deion Sanders?
Arizona State football hosts Colorado and Deion Sanders, AKA "Coach Prime" on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Who is Deion Sanders?
Deion Sanders is a college football coach and former professional football and baseball player. A member of both the pro and college football halls of fame, Sanders is the only person to have played in both the World Series and Super Bowl.
Sanders was born on Aug. 9, 1967, in Fort Myers, Florida. He attended Florida State University where he was a three-sport athlete — football, baseball and track.
He left Florida State prior to graduating and later earned a degree in business administration from Talladega College.
Sanders has undergone several foot surgeries and in 2021 had two toes on his left foot amputated as a result of blood clots. His leg has been at risk of amputation as recently as August 2023.
Sanders has five children.
Want to see Deion Sanders in action? Colorado football vs. Arizona State tickets still available
Deion Sanders played in the NFL
Sanders spent 14 years in the NFL with Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, Baltimore and Washington. He played in the Pro Bowl eight times and has had 53 career interceptions. He played cornerback and was a return specialist.
He played in two Super Bowls (XXIX, XXX) and was on the winning side in both, first with the 49ers to cap a season when he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and then with the Cowboys, catching a 47-yard pass to set up Dallas' first score in its 27-17 win over Pittsburgh at Sun Devil Stadium.
Sanders was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the same year, 2011.
Deion Sanders played Major League Baseball
Sanders played professional baseball for nine seasons, spending time with the New York Yankees (1989-90), Atlanta Braves (1991-94), Cincinnati Reds (1994-95, '97, 2001) and San Francisco Giants (1995).
He played in the 1992 World Series for the Braves, two years before his first Super Bowl appearance, and had 8 hits in 15 at-bats (.533) with 2 doubles, 2 walks and 5 stolen bases in four games.
He almost played in an NFL game and MLB postseason game on the same day. On Oct. 11, 1992, Sanders played for the Falcons in Miami, then flew to Pittsburgh to join the Braves for the NL Championship Series, but did not get into the game.
Sanders, an outfielder, appeared in 641 games with a career batting average of .263 with 39 home runs, 168 RBIs, 308 runs and 186 stolen bases.
He was initially drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals in 1985, but elected to go to college.
Deion Sanders' coaching career
Sanders first coaching jobs were at the high school level — Prime Prep Academy (2012-13), Triple A Academy (2015-16) and Trinity Christian High School (2017-19).
In 2020, Sanders was hired as the head coach at HBCU Jackson State University. In three seasons, including a COVID-19-shortened 2020, he posted a 27-6 record with two bowl appearances and two conference titles.
In December 2022, Sanders was named the head coach at Colorado.
Neon Deion, Prime Time and Coach Prime
Sanders' nicknames date to the beginning of his sports career. The "Prime Time" moniker was bestowed in high school after he had a high-scoring night on the basketball court. It's his preferred nickname.
Sanders has said he didn't like "Neon Deion," which someone tried to give him while at Florida State.
As for Coach Prime, that's easy — it's a derivative of Prime Time. Although Sanders hasn't said how he feels about it, the name of his X account has been changed to COACH PRIME as has his Instagram. The nickname started when he was coaching at Jackson State.
Tales from high school: Before Deion was Prime Time, he was Dion Sanders
Deion Sanders in the media
Between playing and coaching, Sanders had a broadcasting career. He was a co-host for CBS on the NFL Today pregame show for a couple of years before serving as an analyst for the NFL Network for more than a decade.
Among his other endeavors, Sanders released the Prime Time rap album in 1994 and appeared in several MC Hammer videos.
He was the spokesman for Sega Sports video games in the mid-1990s and appeared in TV commercials for Nike, Pepsi, Burger King, Pizza Hut, American Express and, most recently, he can be seen in spots for Aflac alongside Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Sanders also has had his own reality TV show.
War of words? Deion Sanders' latest trademark request not 'personal' for UA coach Jedd Fisch
In 1998 he published an autobiography, "Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life."
He is currently the subject of a docuseries, "Coach Prime" on, fittingly, Prime Video, that follows his career.
He has more than 1.7 million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, and 4.5 million followers on Instagram.
How much is Deion Sanders worth?
Over the course of his baseball and football careers, he earned approximately $60 million in playing contracts. That doesn't take into consideration his endorsements, broadcasting or coaching careers.
The contract he signed at Colorado was for five years for $29.5 million.
Forbes lists his net worth around $45 million.
Deion Sanders Q&A: Covers sacks, luxury cars, future career plans
Who are Shilo Sanders and Shedeur Sanders?
Shilo and Shedeur are two of Deion's five children. Both are members of the Colorado football team.
Sanders coached all three of his sons, Shilo Shedeur, along with Deion Jr., in high school.
Shilo, a safety, played at South Carolina for two years before transferring to Jackson State to play for his father. He graduated in 2022 and transferred to Colorado for his final two years of eligibility. In 2023, he suffered a kidney injury against Oregon and was briefly hospitalized.
Shedeur, a quarterback, started his college career at Jackson State in 2021. He transferred to Colorado prior to the 2023 season. He has signed deals with Gatorade, Beats by Dre and BRADY, Tom Brady's sports clothing line. The 6-foot-2 junior has passed for 1,781 yards and 15 touchdowns in five games this season.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about Deion Sanders, Colorado's football coach
