Deion Sanders Wins Major Award After Coaching First Season at Colorado

Sports Illustrated named Deion Sanders the Sportsperson of the Year.

By Brian Jones

Deion Sanders finished his first season as the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team. And while the Buffaloes finished with a 4-8 record, the NFL Hall of Famer just won a big reward as he was named the 2023 Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated. 

"Deion Sanders dominated the sports conversation in 2023 as a transformative figure not just in Colorado, but for the entire realm of college sports," Stephen Cannella, Editor in Chief of Sports Illustrated, said in a statement. "On and off the field, he represents a new model for the modern college coach. The Sportsperson of the Year honor, a distinction for some of the most legendary figures in sports over the past seven decades, is now enriched by the addition of Deion to its roster."  

Sanders was hired as Colorado's head coach last December. The team won its first three games of the season before losing eight of its final nine contests. And while the Buffaloes did not have a winning season it's an improvement from what they were in 2022 as they only won one game. 

After Colorado's final game of the season, Sanders was asked if the team has the resources to be successful. "We're getting there," he told reporters, per 247Sports. "We definitely need 'giving.' You know what I mean. It's unfortunate to say this, but some kids cost. It's unfortunate to say this. I have not charted this yet, but I've asked for the numbers, but if you start thinking about the top several teams in the country, you see what was spent assembling their teams. We can sit here and talk about great coaching and great this and great that all we want. But it's going to be a credit card swipe with all these guys going to these playoffs. I understand that."

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Sanders, 56, was the head coach at Jackson State for three seasons before joining Colorado. While at Jackson State Sanders won two SWAC Championships and two Celebration Bowl appearances. He also spent nine seasons as a high school football coach in Texas. 

Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year Issue goes on sale on Dec. 14. Sanders, who has been on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times, will accept the 2023 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Award on Dec. 6 on Colorado's campus. The event will also feature a screening of Season 2 of Sanders' docuseries Coach Prime on Prime Video. 

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