Deion Sanders' Net Worth: How Much Is the Colorado Buffaloes Head Football Coach Worth?

Learn more about Deion Sanders' life, family and career:

Deion Sanders' Early Life

Deion Sanders was born Aug. 9, 1967, in Fort Myers, Florida. He is the son of Mims Sanders and Connie Sanders, although his parents split up when he was just 2 years old. His mother and new husband Willie Knight were influential in Sanders' upbringing.

Deion Sanders Starred In Multiple Sports

Sanders went to North Fort Myers High School, and he was a star on the baseball diamond, basketball court and football field for the Red Knights in the early to mid-1980s. He became best known for football and was named to the all-century team for the state of Florida in 1985.

Sanders was a tremendous baseball player in school, too, and he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 1985 Major League Baseball amateur draft. However, he passed on the opportunity in order to play football for head coach Bobby Bowden at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Like at North Fort Myers, Sanders was a three-sport star for the Seminoles. In addition to football, he played baseball and made his way onto the track team.

In his first year for Bowden, he was named a starting defensive back. He played outfield for legendary baseball coach Mike Martin and helped FSU finish fifth in the country on the diamond. Sanders and the track team won a Metro Conference championship in the 1985-86 season.

Back to football. In 1986, he was a third-team All-American. In 1987 and 1988, he was a two-time unanimous All-America cornerback, and that's when the "Prime Time" aura really seemed to take off.

On the diamond, Sanders hit .331 in 1986, and in 1987, he swiped 27 bases. Remember that, as it wasn't the end of his baseball exploits.

Deion Sanders Becomes a Pro

In 1988, Sanders was selected by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the MLB Draft. He signed June 22, 1988, and immediately began play as a minor leaguer.

In 1989, Sanders attended spring training with the Yankees but ended up starting with Double-A Albany-Colonie in the Eastern League.

Sanders shone at the 1989 NFL Scouting Combine, tapping into his track talent. He ran 4.27 and 4.29 seconds in the 40-yard dash, which would still be tremendous times in 2025. The Atlanta Falcons liked what they saw and took him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Sanders made his major league debut on May 31, 1989, but spent most of the season with Triple-A Columbus, in Ohio.

That summer, he was expected to leave baseball for Falcons training camp in Flowery Branch, Georgia. However, a contract dispute changed plans.

On Sept. 10, 1989, he made his NFL debut with the Falcons against the Los Angeles Rams and scored a touchdown on his second-ever punt return. The future was bright, and he always wore shades.

The Kind of Two-Sport Star We May Never See Again

Sanders played 641 MLB games over parts of nine seasons, spending two seasons with the Yankees, parts of four seasons with the Atlanta Braves, parts of four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (including a brief comeback in 2001) and half a season with the San Francisco Giants.

Sanders totaled 72 doubles, 43 triples, 39 home runs and 168 RBIs in 2,123 at-bats. He also posted 186 stolen bases while turning in a career .263 batting average and .319 on-base percentage.

Sanders seemingly was everywhere in the early 1990s, including the "2 Legit 2 Quit" music video by MC Hammer in 1991. It is football most people remember about Sanders, though.

He had nine pick-sixes in his NFL career across 14 years, and he started 157 games in the NFL while recovering 13 fumbles with one scoop-and-score. Who could forget the high-stepping returns with one arm behind his head? Kids everywhere emulated his flashiness, much to the chagrin of old-school coaches.

In 1994, he signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers and went on to be named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He posted an interception to help the 49ers top the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX.

He moved to the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 and won his second and final Super Bowl title. After being released by Dallas in 2000 in a cost-cutting move, he signed a big deal with the Washington Redskins. He ended up playing just one season with Washington before retiring from football.

Sanders returned to the Reds in 2001, his first appearance in the majors since 1997, but he hit just .173 in 32 games. After stealing a career-high 56 bases in 115 games in '97, his speed was much different, and he had just three steals on seven attempts with the Reds in '01.

He came out of retirement in 2004, playing 25 games over two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He posted five interceptions in six starts, including a pick-six in 2004, his last as a pro. He retired following the 2005 season after playing a full 16 games at 38 years old.

In 2020, Sanders took the head coaching job at Jackson State University, where he landed recruit Travis Hunter, who played both wide receiver and cornerback. Hunter followed Sanders to the University of Colorado before winning the Heisman Trophy in 2024 and becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Currently, the Pro Football Hall of Famer is the head coach at Colorado, where he coached his sons Shedeur and Shilo. Shedeur was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Sanders announced in 2025 that he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer, but he is now cancer-free after successful surgery.

It's not his first encounter with health issues, as he had two toes amputated because of complications from blood clots. The issue stemmed from surgery to address a dislocated toe and inflamed nerve in his left foot.