Sports Illustrated names CU’s Deion Sanders Sportsperson of the Year

BOULDER — After a hot start to the season made Boulder the epicenter of the college football word (followed by a less auspicious finish), Sports Illustrated has named Deion Sanders, the first-year head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes, its 2023 Sportsperson of the Year. 

Coach Prime’s “blend of unparalleled athletic accomplishments and transformative impact on the football program, school, and community of Boulder transcends sports and ripples throughout the culture,” Sports Illustrated said in a news release.

Sanders, with the help of his son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, quadrupled last year’s win total (one game) and brought a new attitude to a flailing Buffs program, packing Folsom Field with celebrities and national sports media.

“Deion Sanders dominated the sports conversation in 2023 as a transformative figure not just in Colorado, but for the entire realm of college sports,” SI editor in chief Stephen Cannella said in the release. “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.”

SI’s Sportsperson of the Year issue is available on Dec. 14. 

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