One Google search of Deion Sanders and his description bio will read “football coach and former actor,” but nothing about his NFL career.
Back in the 1990s, the now-Colorado Buffaloes head coach emerged as one of the more flashy and popular players in the league. His stardom stretched into the early 2000s before establishing himself as a prominent media personality. But in tracing back to his playing days, what position did Sanders thrive in during his league run?
Looking Back at the Position Deion Sanders Dominated in
Sanders became lauded for his versatility on the football field — damaging opponents on kickoff and punt returns, stretching the field at wide receiver, and then locking in on wideouts at cornerback.
It’s the latter position that Sanders is most revered for.
He went on to earn eight Pro Bowl nominations and six All-Pro nods while lining up on defense. Even before heading to the league, Sanders emerged as one of the nation’s best CBs in the college game while at Florida State. He became a two-time All-American for the Seminoles by collecting 14 interceptions for an astonishing 287 yards and scoring three times.
His stardom at CB carried over right away into the NFL. Sanders snatched five picks in his league debut in 1989 with the Atlanta Falcons. During his second season, Sanders delivered the league’s longest interception return at 82 yards.
Sanders then ignited a streak of consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in 1991. He grabbed a then career-high six interceptions to lure in his first nomination to the league’s all-star event. He went on to become an All-Pro the next two seasons which included shattering his previous best interception mark with seven in 1993.
In 1994, Sanders led the NFL with 303 interception return yards with the San Francisco 49ers. That year, he also returned a league-high three interceptions for touchdowns.
While Sanders has stat lines under wide receiving categories, his best stats came out of playing cornerback. Sanders, in the end, went on to produce the following numbers there:
- 53 career interceptions, tying him for 24th overall with Ty Law.
- Tallied 1,331 interception return yards, good for fourth-ever in NFL history.
- Has scored nine interception touchdowns, tying him for fifth overall.
Sanders delivered a decorated defensive career and helped revolutionize the CB position. But did it lead to any Super Bowl victories?
How Many Super Bowls did Sanders Win?
Sanders went on to appear in two Super Bowls in his 14-season career.
He’s undefeated in both contests. And it came in back-to-back seasons. Except, both of his rings were with different franchises.
In his first and only season with the 49ers, Sanders helped spearhead the 13-3 campaign and snatched the Vince Lombardi Trophy down in Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. He never returned to the 49ers, though, and even wasn’t on any NFL roster until Week 2 of the 1995 season.
Sanders decided to end his lengthy “Deion sweepstakes” on Sept. 9 of that year and inked a blockbuster seven-year, $35 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys — making him the highest-paid league defender at the time. The Cowboys won out after the free agent Sanders was courted by the 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders.
He didn’t take long to win a championship with the Cowboys, winning 27-17 over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX down in Tempe, Ariz. Sanders, though, never got the chance to play for another Vince Lombardi Trophy — let alone surpass the divisional round of the playoffs since that ’95 season.
Regardless, Sanders became revered across sports for his vibrant persona and longtime dominance playing the cornerback position. Now, he’ll be pursuing his next championship in the college realm, as he’s set to lead the Colorado Buffaloes back onto the field on Thursday, Aug. 29 against North Dakota State.