Deion Sanders has brought plenty of fireworks and spectacle to the Colorado Buffaloes program as their head coach, but well before his days as a college coach, Sanders was bringing flair to the college gridiron with his play across multiple sports before entering the NFL Draft. Sanders’ collegiate feats brought plenty of attention and helped earn him both NFL and MLB contracts.
Deion Sanders’ Collegiate Feats
Sanders played college football at Florida State but was actually a three-sport athlete for the Seminoles. Sanders was a legendary cornerback for the Seminoles while also playing baseball and running track.
On the football field, Sanders doubled as an elite cornerback and punt returner whose records still stand today.
Sanders collected a total of 14 interceptions while returning four for touchdowns, a number still tied for the Florida State career record. Sanders still holds the FSU career record for number of punt returns and punt return yardage.
Sanders was a unanimous All-American during his junior and senior seasons and won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back his senior year. Sanders was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
By many accounts, Sanders enjoyed a collegiate career that was more akin to folklore. In the words of the Tallahassee Democrat, “The fictional All-America athlete who could do it all has come to life. He resides in right field for Florida State.”
These words were written in response to Sanders pulling off another athletic marvel. In between two baseball games, including the championship game Sanders helped Florida State get to, he ran with the track team. Just a couple of hours after playing a full game in the outfield, Sanders clocked a 10.3 in the 100m while still in his baseball pants.
Sanders earned All-America honors as a sprinter on FSU’s 4×100 relay team and played in the College World Series as an outfielder on the baseball team.
All of these feats helped Sanders earn professional accolades, where he also enjoyed plenty of success. Sanders was selected fifth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft, playing 14 years for the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington, and Baltimore Ravens.
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A 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, he played in eight Pro Bowls, was named the 1994 AP Defensive Player of the Year, and won two Super Bowls.
Sanders also played nine seasons of Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants. He is the only player in history to play in a Super Bowl and a World Series.