As all Coloradians know, it has been very hard to be a CU Boulder Football fan in the past few years. Ending with a discouraging season record of 1-11 in 2022, The University of Colorado was left in a measly 12th place of the Pac-12. However, the introduction of their 28th head coach has turned the CU football program and rest of the university upside down. Coach Deion Sanders, or, “Coach Prime” was named the head football coach on December 3, 2022. While this was promising and exciting news to many, few could predict the complete impact Sanders would have on the university and state alike.
Sanders made a name for himself from the start of his football career, returning a punt of 68 yards for a touchdown in his NFL debut in 1989 for the Atlanta Falcons. Throughout his career of nearly 200 games, Sanders scored 22 touchdowns, played for five different professional teams, was second in the NFL for interception return yards, and tied for second place in interceptions returned for a touchdown.
Having accumulated incredible stats in his 14 seasons as an NFL player, Sanders was inducted into the 2011 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Incredibly, Deion Sanders also played professional baseball for four MLB teams: making him the only athlete to have played in both a World Series and the Super Bowl.
However, Deion Sanders’ multifaceted athletic abilities did not end with his NFL career. He can still be seen on the sidelines, but he is not warming the bench. Beginning as a high school football coach, Sanders then switched to college ball, and started coaching for Jackson State in 2020: leading the team to a 53-0 win against Edward Waters in his coaching debut. After three successful seasons, and 27 wins for Jackson State, Sanders headed out West, signing to coach the University of Colorado Buffaloes in the winter of 2022.
Almost immediately after signing a 5-year, $29.5 million contract with CU, college football fans everywhere were practically buzzing with excitement. Many argued his coaching capabilities and lacked faith in the 49 new players Sanders brought to the Buffaloes upon his arrival. Against all odds, Sanders stunned all disbelievers when he led the team to 45-42 victory over TCU: a highly unanticipated and unexpected outcome. Over the course of a football game, the Colorado football team, once again, became a household name. While the 2023 season ended in some disappointments, with a season record of 4-8, faith in Coach Prime remains unwavering amongst CU fans.
This being said, Deion Sanders has done far more than restructure the football program. CU home games alone generated $113.2 million in 2023; a once barren Folsom Field became filled with shouting students, alums, and fans alike. Sanders is estimated to have also brought in up to $72.1 million in direct economic impacts (restaurant revenues, hotel reservations, transportation services, etc… ) for Boulder, giving the city more earnings–and hype–than ever. In addition to stimulating the economy in Boulder, Sanders has attracted some familiar faces to Boulder, such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lil Wayne, Rob Gronkowski and Dababy, amongst many others.
While his economic impact on the state of Colorado has been plentiful, the effects on the University of Colorado itself have been historical. Since his first season as coach, the University of Colorado has seen unprecedented growth in numbers of applicants, receiving 68,000 applications for the fall of 2024. This is a 20% increase since last application season. Specifically, Prime’s impact has likely contributed to the 50% spike in Black applicants, which will hopefully aid in the lack of diversity seen at CU Boulder. While the university has a population of 30,000 undergraduates, only 2.7% of this population consists of Black students. While we cannot definitively say this uptick in applicants is due to Coach Prime’s arrival in Boulder, the hubbub alone seems to validate the existence of the “Prime Effect.”
The arrival of Deion Sanders as head coach of the football program in Boulder, Colorado has had unprecedented impacts on the University and state. With constant media coverage surrounding the team, coach and university, celebrity appearances at games, sold out stadiums and an all new team, application rates and economic growth has skyrocketed in Boulder, proving to the nation that Sanders “ain’t hard 2 find.” Buffaloes and college football fans everywhere look forward in anticipation of what the next four seasons of Coach Prime will bring to the table. Our hopes have never been higher, as CU has officially in its Prime.