Deion Sanders facts for kids
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Sanders with the Colorado Buffaloes in 2024
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| Colorado Buffaloes | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Head coach | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Born: | August 9, 1967 Fort Myers, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 198 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | North Fort Myers (North Fort Myers, Florida) |
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| College: | Florida State (1985–1988) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career: | 40–18 (.690) (college) 17–21 (.447) (high school) |
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||||
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Pro Football Hall of Fame
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is a famous American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. People know him by his nicknames "Prime Time", "Neon Deion", and now "Coach Prime".
Sanders played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played for teams like the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. He was also a baseball player for nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. Deion Sanders is the only athlete ever to play in both a Super Bowl (which he won twice) and a World Series.
He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. There, he won the Jim Thorpe Award as a senior. The Falcons picked him fifth overall in the 1989 NFL draft. He mostly played as a cornerback in football. He also returned kicks and punts, and sometimes played as a wide receiver. During his career, he was chosen for eight Pro Bowls. He also made six first-team All-Pro teams. He won two Super Bowls in a row, first with the 49ers and then with the Cowboys. 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 became a sports analyst and a coach. He was the head coach for the Jackson State Tigers football team from 2020 to 2022. He led them to two Celebration Bowl appearances. They also had their first undefeated regular season in school history. In late 2022, Sanders became the head football coach at Colorado.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Deion Sanders was born on August 9, 1967, in Fort Myers, Florida. His parents divorced when he was two years old. His mother and her new husband, Willie Knight, raised him. Sanders says Willie Knight was very important in his life.
He went to North Fort Myers High School. There, he was a top athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1985, he was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team. This team picked the best 33 high school football players in Florida's history.
The Kansas City Royals baseball team drafted Sanders in 1985. But he decided not to sign with them.
College Career at Florida State
Sanders went to Florida State University. He played three sports for the Florida State Seminoles: football, baseball, and track. From his first year, he was a starter in football. He also played outfield for the baseball team. He helped the track and field team win a championship.
His football coach was Bobby Bowden. Sanders was a two-time All-American cornerback in 1987 and 1988. This means he was recognized as one of the best players in the country. He intercepted 14 passes during his college career. He even returned one interception 100 yards for a touchdown. In 1988, he won the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football. He was also a great punt returner. In 1995, Florida State retired his No. 2 jersey to honor him.
While playing baseball at Florida State, Sanders had a batting average of .331 in 1986. He also stole 27 bases in 1987.
On May 16, 1987, Sanders did something amazing. He played in a baseball game, ran a leg of a track relay race, and then went back to play in the baseball championship game. His track team won the conference championship. His baseball team also won their conference title.
Professional Baseball Career
| Deion Sanders | |||
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| Outfielder | |||
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| debut | |||
| May 31, 1989, for the New York Yankees | |||
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| June 14, 2001, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .263 | ||
| Home runs | 39 | ||
| Runs batted in | 168 | ||
| Stolen bases | 186 | ||
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Sanders played baseball part-time for nine years. He played in 641 games for four different teams. The New York Yankees drafted him in 1988, and he signed with them.
Playing for the New York Yankees
Sanders made his MLB debut on May 31, 1989. In 1989, Sanders hit a home run in baseball and scored a touchdown in football in the same week. He is the only player ever to do this. Sanders is also the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
In 1990, Sanders played against Bo Jackson, another famous multi-sport athlete. Sanders said Jackson was "one of the best athletes who ever put on a uniform." Sanders left the Yankees in 1990 to focus on football.
Time with the Atlanta Braves
Sanders then signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1991 MLB season. He had to leave the Braves in August to play for the Atlanta Falcons football team. Before the 1992 NFL season, he changed his football contract. This allowed him to rejoin the Braves for the baseball postseason.
The 1992 season was his best in baseball. He batted .304, stole 26 bases, and led the league with 14 triples. In the 1992 World Series, Sanders batted .533. Even with a broken bone in his foot, he played great. But the Braves lost to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Later Baseball Teams
The Braves traded Sanders to the Cincinnati Reds in 1994. He played for the Reds for a short time. Then he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in 1995. He played well for the Giants, hitting 5 home runs and stealing 8 bases.
In 1997, Sanders returned to the Cincinnati Reds. He stole 56 bases, which was second in the league. He then left baseball for three years. He came back to the Reds in 2001 but played only 29 games before being released.
Professional Football Career
Deion Sanders was the fifth player picked in the 1989 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played for the Falcons until 1993. In his first NFL game, he ran for a touchdown on his second punt return attempt. During his time in Atlanta, he intercepted 24 passes. In 1992, he led the league in kickoff return yards. He scored 10 touchdowns for the Falcons in different ways.
San Francisco 49ers: A Championship Season
After five seasons with Atlanta, Sanders joined the San Francisco 49ers for the 1994 season. This was one of his best years in football. He had six interceptions and returned them for 303 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In Super Bowl XXIX, he made an interception in the fourth quarter. The 49ers won the Super Bowl, giving him his first championship ring.
Dallas Cowboys: More Super Bowl Wins
After his great season with the 49ers, Sanders signed a big contract with the Dallas Cowboys in 1995. He helped the Cowboys win their third title in four years in Super Bowl XXX. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sanders returned a punt and caught a 47-yard pass in that game. He played four more seasons with Dallas and was chosen for the Pro Bowl every year.
Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens
In 2000, the Washington Redskins signed Sanders. He played one season with them before retiring in 2001.
In 2004, Sanders decided to come out of retirement. His friends convinced him to play for the Baltimore Ravens. He played as a nickelback. He chose to wear number 37, which was his age at the time. In 2004, he scored his ninth career interception return touchdown. He played in every game of the 2005 season. He retired again in January 2006.
Deion Sanders' Football Achievements
During his 14 years in the NFL, Sanders was known as one of the best defensive players ever. He sometimes played offense too. In 1996, he focused only on football. He became one of the few players to start on both offense and defense in the NFL.
Sanders is the only person to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. He is also the only player to hit an MLB home run and score an NFL touchdown in the same week. He is one of seven players to win back-to-back Super Bowls with different teams. He is also one of two players to score an NFL touchdown in six different ways. These ways include interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, and fumble recovery.
He had 53 interceptions for 1,331 yards in his career. He also returned 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards. He gained 2,199 yards on 212 punt returns. He caught 60 passes for 784 yards. In total, he had 7,838 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns. His 19 defensive and return touchdowns was an NFL record for a long time. He was chosen for eight Pro Bowls and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1994.
Sanders has received many honors:
- In 2010, he was inducted into the Atlanta Falcons' Ring of Honor.
- In 2011, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
- Also in 2011, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Coaching Career
High School Coaching
While still working as an NFL analyst, Sanders became a head coach. He coached for Prime Prep Academy, a school he helped start. He coached there in 2012 and 2013. The school closed in 2015.
In 2015, he became the head coach for Triple A Academy for two seasons. In 2017, he became the offensive coordinator for Trinity Christian High School. This allowed him to coach his sons, Shilo and Shedeur Sanders.
Jackson State Tigers
On September 21, 2020, Deion Sanders became the head coach of the Jackson State Tigers. This team is part of a historically black (HBCU) university. In his first season (spring 2021), he led the Tigers to a 4–3 record.
In the fall 2021 season, Sanders led the Tigers to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title. They had a record of 11 wins, which was a program record. He also won the Eddie Robinson Award as the top FCS head coach. Jackson State played in the 2021 Celebration Bowl but lost. They played in the Celebration Bowl again in 2022 and lost again.
Sanders did something special in 2022. He convinced Travis Hunter, a top high school recruit, to join Jackson State. Hunter was the first five-star recruit to sign with an FCS program. Sanders helped bring more attention and money to HBCU football teams. He even paid for some team meals and training facilities himself. Sanders led Jackson State to a 27−6 record during his three seasons.
Colorado Buffaloes
On December 3, 2022, Sanders was named the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders used the transfer portal a lot. He brought in many new players, including his sons Shedeur and Shilo, and Travis Hunter. Colorado had only won one game the season before. But in 2023, they won their first three games. They finished the season with a 4–8 record.
Media and Pop Culture Fame
Sanders was known for wearing a "do-rag" or bandana and for his high-stepping into the end zone. He would also do touchdown dances. At his Hall of Fame speech, he put a bandana on his bust.
His nickname "Prime Time" came from a high school friend. They played basketball during prime time TV hours. Sanders' amazing athletic moves earned him the name. He also had nicknames like "Lil Nicky" and "Neon Deion."
Sanders was famous for his flashy suits and jewelry. In 1994, he released a rap album called Prime Time. He also hosted Saturday Night Live in 1995. Sanders appeared in music videos for MC Hammer. He was also a spokesman for Sega Sports video games. He appeared in commercials for companies like Nike, Pepsi, and Pizza Hut.
After retiring from the NFL in 2001, Sanders worked as a TV commentator for CBS' The NFL Today. He later joined NFL Network as an analyst. He appears on shows like NFL GameDay and Thursday Night Kickoff.
In 2008, Sanders and his wife had a reality show called Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love. He also appeared on Celebrity Family Feud and Running Wild with Bear Grylls. In 2015, he won an episode of Lip Sync Battle. In 2018, he appeared in disguise on Undercover Boss. A docuseries called Coach Prime follows his coaching career.
Leon Sandcastle
Leon Sandcastle is a funny character created for an NFL Network commercial. He is Deion Sanders in disguise. Sandcastle first appeared in a Super Bowl commercial in 2013. The commercial showed Sanders saying he could still play better than new players. So, he put on an afro wig and called himself "Leon Sandcastle." He then entered the NFL draft process. The commercial showed Sandcastle being drafted first overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Even though he wasn't a real player, the character became popular. The NFL created "Combine Profile" videos for him. He was even added to the Madden NFL 13 video game. For April Fools' Day, 2013, NFL.com joked that Sandcastle would be the Chiefs' top pick.
Personal Life
Deion Sanders has been married twice. He has two children, Deiondra and Deion Jr., with his first wife, Carolyn Chambers. He has three children, Shilo, Shedeur, and Shelomi, with his second wife, Pilar Biggers-Sanders.
In 2012, Sanders helped start a school called Prime Prep Academy. It closed in 2015. In 2017, he became the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill high school. This allowed him to coach his sons, Shilo and Shedeur, who played there.
Two of his sons, Shilo and Shedeur, now play football at the University of Colorado. Shilo is a defensive back, and Shedeur is the starting quarterback.
In 2020, Sanders earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Talladega College. In 2021, he had several foot surgeries. He had two toes on his left foot removed because of blood clots.
Images for kids
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From left to right, Arthur Blake, Dexter Carter, Sanders and Sammie Smith taking a victory lap around Mike Long Track after setting a Metro Conference record in the 4 x 100 meter relay during a meet in 1988
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Sanders as an NFL Network analyst in 2008.
