Deion Sanders

At 56 years old, Deion Sanders has this physical status:

College career

Sanders attended Florida State University and competed in three sports for the Florida State Seminoles: football, baseball, and track. He began his freshman year, played outfield for the baseball team that placed fifth in the country, and coached the track and field team to a championship.

Sanders, a two-time consensus All-American cornerback in 1987 and 1988, as well as a third-team All-American in 1986, intercepting 14 passes in his career, three in bowl games, and one in bowl games, and breaking Fred Biletnikoff's record by one yard. In 1988, he received the Jim Thorpe Award. He was also a standout punt returner for Florida State, leading the nation in 1988 with his punt return average and breaking the school's record for career punt return yards. During the 1989 Sugar Bowl, Sanders made an interception with 5 seconds remaining to seal Florida State's 13–7 victory over Auburn. Based on those achievements, his No. 1 ranks him No. 1 in the world of No. Ranks. In 1995, two jerseys at Florida State were unveiled. He had 126 punt returns for 1,429 yards and three touchdowns, as well as 14 interceptions, some of which were returned for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Sanders' 14 interceptions were the second highest number in school history at the time of his graduation. Sanders was his "measuring stick for athletic ability," Bowden would later state.

Sanders' batting average was.331 at Florida State in 1986 when playing baseball under head coach Mike Martin. In 1987, he was known more for base stealing and compiling 27 stolen bases.

Sanders played in the conference semifinal baseball game against Southern Mississippi on May 16, 1987 (while the Metro Conference baseball and track championships were being played simultaneously in Columbia, South Carolina), then returned to play in the baseball championship game against Cincinnati. Despite Sanders' relay team's appearance in that competition, the FSU track team was the overall conference champion, and the baseball team took home the conference championship as well.

Professional baseball career

Sanders played left and center field in 641 games with four clubs during his nine-year, part-time baseball career. In the sixth round of the 1985 draft, he was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals but did not sign with them. Sanders was drafted in the 30th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball draft by the New York Yankees, and he joined the team on June 22. Since signing, he batted.284 in 28 minor league games.

In 1989, the Yankees welcomed Sanders to spring training. Assigned to wear No. 11 and not no. Sanders ordered a single digit number instead of 71 as a uniform number. He was given No. 119 by the Yankees. The team's lowest number available was 30, which offended several veteran players. Sanders played for the Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Class AA Eastern League in 1989. Despite the fact that Sanders wanted to leave the Yankees in July for NFL training camp, he became embroiled in a labor contract dispute with the Falcons and used the Yankees as leverage.

He was promoted to the major leagues and spent the summer with the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League in Columbus, Ohio. Sanders made his MLB debut on May 31, 1989.

He played in the NFL for the first time in 1989 and scored a touchdown in the same week, becoming the first player to do so. Sanders is now the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Sanders and Bo Jackson were the best multi-sport athletes of their time, but they had never met together in a competitive match before the 1990 season. It all changed in 1990, when Jackson and Sanders appeared five times on the diamond, the most notable of which occurred on July 17 in what was described as "The Bo and Prime Time Show" on television. "He's (Bo's) one of the finest athletes ever put on a uniform," Sanders said after Bo Jackson's three-homer night.

Sanders made the Yankees' Opening Day roster for the 1990 season. Sanders became embroiled in a controversy with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk on May 22, 1990. Sanders got off the field with one out and a runner on third, drawing a dollar sign in the dirt before the pitch, but then failed to run to first base after hitting a common pop fly to shortstop but trotting back to the dugout. Sanders was booed by Yankee fans, and Fisk advised him to "play the fucking ball out" and called Sanders a "piece of shit." Sanders told Fisk later in the game that "the days of slavery are over." Fisk was tumultuous. "He comes up and wants to make it a racial issue," says the author. There is no ethnic problem in this case." To play this game, there is both a correct way and a wrong way.

Sanders said by mid-July that he was uncertain if he'll stay with the Yankees or report to training camp for the forthcoming NFL season. He wanted a $1 million salary for the 1991 season, and the Yankees stopped talks on a new deal with Sanders. In 57 games, he rejoined the team, posting a.158 batting average and three home runs. Sanders was placed on waivers with the intention of giving him his freedom in September 1990, according to Yankees general manager Gene Michael, who said that Sanders' football career was hindering his baseball growth.

Sanders later signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1991 MLB season. Sanders ignited a comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Braves' quest to the National League West Division championship on July 31, hitting a key three-run homer on July 31. However, he was compelled to leave the Braves early next day to report to the Atlanta Falcons due to a clause in his NFL deal, and he missed the playoffs. Sanders reworked his NFL contract before the 1992 season, whenby he signed to the Falcons for training camp in August, but he was allowed to return to the Braves for the postseason.

Sanders played.304 for the team, stole 26 bases, and led the NL with 14 triples in 97 games during his 1992 season, his best year in the majors. Sanders batted.533 with four runs, eight hits, two doubles, and one RBI when playing with a broken foot in his foot in four games of the 1992 World Series. Each lead the team in the series, with his batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases, and win probability. Despite Sanders' good showing, the Braves eventually lost in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays. He barely escaped being the victim of just the second triple play in World Series history in Game 3 (following Bill Wambsgan's unassisted triple play in 1920). David Justice hit a deep fly ball to center field with Sanders on second base and Terry Pendleton on first base, prompting Blue Jays center fielder Devon White to leap in place. Pendleton got to Sanders on the second base, but umpire Bob Davidson kept Sanders safe after he rushed back to second base. Kelly Gruber, the third baseman of Toronto, tagged him on the heel before he returned to second, according to replays.

On May 30, 1994, the Braves traded Sanders to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Roberto Kelly. The trade was completed just moments before the Braves and Reds were set to face each other in a match. Sanders batted.277 and took 19 bases in 46 games. He appeared in 33 games for the Reds this year, posting a.240 batting average with 16 stolen bases before being traded to the San Francisco Giants.

On July 21, 1995, Sanders was sent by the San Francisco Giants in an eight-player trade. In 52 games for the Giants, he batted.280, hit 5 home runs, stole 8 bases, and stole 8 bases.

Sanders finished second in the NL with 56 stolen bases in 115 games during his time with the Cincinnati Reds before being banned from baseball for three years.

Sanders was recalled to the Reds in 2001 but was suspended after playing in only 29 games and batting just.173.

Following his release from the Reds, he signed a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Before the Washington Redskins found a loophole in his deal that forced him to return to the Redskins, Sanders was hitting.252 for the Syracuse SkyChiefs. Sanders' football deal had been arranged to enable him to play both baseball and football, but the terms of the contract specified that Sanders could not attend NFL training camp and the first few games of the season only if he were playing Major League Baseball. Sanders had to leave Syracuse and return to the Redskins so he would not breach his NFL contract since he was not on an MLB roster until then. Sanders, on the other hand, told Redskins workers he was resigned from professional baseball prior to arriving at training camp. Sanders scored a solo home run and an RBI single in Syracuse's 12–6 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens in his last professional baseball game. Sanders' refusal to focus on just one sport (similar to Bo Jackson's), he'd often say, "football is my wife, and baseball is my mistress."

Professional football career

Sanders led to a 4.20 and 4.29 seconds 40-yard dash at the 1989 NFL Scouting Combine. He was the fifth overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he appeared until 1993. Despite fumbling (and recovering) his first NFL punt return (which was re-kicked on a penalty), Sanders scored a touchdown on his second attempt of his first game. He intercepted 24 passes during his time in Atlanta, three of which were career-high 7 in 1993), three of which were returned for touchdowns. He led the league in kickoff return yards (1,067), yards per return (26.7), and return touchdowns (2) in 1992. Sanders appeared in a Falcons game in Miami and then headed to Pittsburgh on October 11, 1992, aiming to play in the Braves' League Championship Series game against the Pirates that evening and becoming the first professional football player to play in two professional leagues in the same day. Sanders did not participate in the baseball game that night, but did not appear in it. Sanders has scored ten touchdowns, three kick returns, two punt returns, and two receptions in his five years with the Falcons. He is the only inductee from his draft's top five picks to not spend his entire career with the team that selected him.

Sanders played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1994 after five seasons with Atlanta. He had arguably his best season as a professional football player, throwing six interceptions and returning them for a franchise record 303 yards and three touchdowns. Two of his interceptions were returned for at least 90 yards, making him the first player to do so in NFL history. Sanders made his dramatic return to the Georgia Dome in a 49er uniform on October 16, 1994. Sanders intercepted a pass from quarterback Jeff George and returned it 93 yards while mocking the entire Falcons sideline before high-stepping into the end zone after getting into a scuffle with his former Falcon teammates Andre Rison. Sanders was named 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year by a later date. In Super Bowl XIX, he made an end zone interception in the fourth quarter as the 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers, earning him his first championship ring.

Sanders and his handler Eugene Parker, both from the 49ers, courted several teams in need of a cornerback after a fruitful season. The Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Mavericks, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, and the Dallas Cowboys were among the many teams in the "Deion Sweepstakes," as it was dubbed by the media. Kevin Smith, the Philadelphia Bulls, was out of the game for the remainder of the season.

Sanders signed a lucrative deal with the Dallas Cowboys on September 9, 1995 (which occurred in Week 2 of the NFL season) effectively making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league at the time. Sanders later revealed in his book Power, Money & Sex: How He Almost Ruined My Life that the Oakland Raiders Giant the Game, but he wanted to play in Dallas for longer than with no other team, but not for the first time, as a chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Michael Irvin, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. He was sidelined until his debut in Week 9, when the Cowboys defeated the Falcons in Atlanta, 28-13; Arthroscopic surgery saved him. He went on to help the Cowboys win their third title in four years against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he punted for 11 yards and caught a 47-yard touchdown on offense, setting up Dallas' first touchdown of the season and a 27–17 win. Sanders spent four seasons with Dallas, earning Pro Bowl selection in both cases. He was fired in a salary increase on June 2, 2000.

The Washington Redskins signed Sanders to a seven-year, $56 million deal right after the Cowboys cut him. Sanders abruptly resigned in July 2001 after only playing one year with the Redskins at the end of the 2000 season and an above-average statistical year.

Sanders was cut from the reserve/retired list on December 23, 2002, in order to potentially allow him to play for the Oakland Raiders in the 2002-03 NFL playoffs. If he had gone through waivers unclaimed, he would have been able to sign a free-agent contract with any team and play during the season. However, five franchises (the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, and Tennessee Titans) rejected waiver applications for him on December 25, with the Chargers claiming him as having the highest waiver priority. Since it was too late in the season to be activated from the reserve/retired list, he was unable to play for the Chargers for the remainder of the season.

Sanders declared in 2004 that he did not want to come out of retirement after being told by his mentor, Joe Zorovich, and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller and linebacker Ray Lewis. He signed a one-year contract with the Ravens, effectively ending his chances of being a nickelback. Sanders wore the number 37, which matched his age at the time, to preemptively tell people that he was well aware of his relative seniority as an NFL star (additionally, the number 21, which was also worn by Baltimore's Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister), was already wearing his number 37. Sanders tied for second place behind Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams in Week 7 of 2004 against the Buffalo Bills, his ninth career interception return touchdown, bringing him a tie for second place with Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams, and fourth place overall in the statistical category, behind Rod Woodson (with 12) for all-time in the event.

Sanders played in all 16 games in Baltimore for five years. For the second year in a row, the Ravens failed to qualify for the postseason, and he resigned for good in January 2006.

Coaching career

Sanders became the head coach for the Prime Prep Academy, which he co-founded while still working as an NFL analyst. For 2012 and 2013, he served as the head coach for both 2012 and 2013. He was hired as the head coach for Triple A Academy, where he served for two seasons. Sanders served as the offensive coordinator for Trinity Christian High School in 2017, giving him the opportunity to mentor his sons Shilo and Shedeur. He stayed there until 2020.

Deion Sanders, the 21st head coach of the Jackson State Tigers, a program in the second level of NCAA football, was introduced on September 21, 2020, the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), which represents the historically black (HBCU) Jackson State University.

He was an exception in his first season in spring 2021, abbreviated and postponed from its intended fall 2020 schedule due to COVID-19 unrest, with the Tigers' first season as a result of forfeit. Sanders led the Tigers to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship and a program record of 11 wins, as well as being named the recipient of the 2018 Eddie Robinson Award as the season's top FCS head coach.

Sanders also changed the way defensive back Travis Hunter was recruited, making him the top overall recruit in the 2022 class. Hunter pledged to Sanders' alma mater Florida State right away. This action was heralded by recruiting director Steve Wiltfong as "the biggest signing day moment in college football history," as Football Championship Subdivision schools and the HBCUs that compete at such a level of competition are not typical destinations for high-level recruits. Hunter was the first five players to commit to an FCS program.

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