• Faith: Christian
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  August 09, 1967

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders is one of the most celebrated football players in NFL history, and one of the most successful professional two-way athletes ever.

Raised by his mother and stepfather in Fort Myers, Florida, he earned the nickname “Prime Time” during high school as he earned all-state honors in baseball, basketball and football. In his senior year, he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, but eventually chose to attend Florida State University. That proved to be a wise decision, where he became an All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award for college’s best cornerback.

During his illustrious career, Deion Sanders played for five football teams: the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Baltimore Ravens. Intermingled throughout those 14 years of service in the NFL, he also played nine years in the MLB with the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees.

Winning two Super Bowl rings with the Dallas Cowboys and respect in baseball with feats like leading the league in triples while with the Atlanta Braves in 1992, he became a no-doubt historic athlete and NFL Hall of Famer in 2011. Since his retirement in 2006, Deion Sanders has been a pre-game show analyst with the NFL Network and CBS’ “The NFL Today.”

Yet, it was always whispered that his football smarts belonged in the body of a coach. He made heads turn, and the record books prove that thinking. Initially coaching at Jackson State University, he made a name for HBCU football on mainstream television. From there, he found his current home with the University of Colorado, where four players, including his son, Shedeur and two-way, first-round selection Travis Hunter, were chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Deion Sanders’ Religious Beliefs

Deion Sanders made being a Christian as much of his identity as the glitz and glamour that follows him off the field. Upon his retirement from sports, he was determined to proclaim the Gospel. He was already a member of The Potter’s House, so he asked Bishop T.D. Jakes to mentor him in evangelism and homiletics.

One of his first messages was in a sold-out Spectrum Center, where the Charlotte Hornets play basketball. It was because of Jakes that Sanders boasts he found Christ in the first place. Following a suicide attempt in 1997, he leaned on the chest of his pastor, who later baptized him that year.

Much like he did in Charlotte and at several Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Conventions, his messages focused on redemption and God’s faithfulness as he shared his journey to that near-fatal moment.

Today, Deion has forged a strong relationship with Dr. E. Dewey Smith, the senior pastor and founder of The House of Hope in three locations across Georgia. During Sanders’s career as a coach, he kept his declarations of faith and allegiance to faith in Christ front and center.

That was never more pronounced than his recent scare with bladder cancer. Sanders revealed that he had been diagnosed with and treated for bladder cancer. He underwent surgery to remove his bladder after doctors discovered a tumor. His medical team has declared him "cured" of cancer, according to UCHealth, following the successful removal of the tumor and creation of a new bladder using his own intestines.

Through that aggressive tumor and on-field persona, Deion proved his faith will never waver, and he plans to get it in prime time.