High school years Sanders attended North Fort Myers High School in North Fort Myers, Florida, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. He was an All-State honoree in all three sports. In 2007 Sanders was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team which selected the Top 33 players in the 100 year history of high school football in the state of Florida's history. [edit] College career Sanders was a star in three sports for the Florida State Seminoles, participating in football, baseball, and track. Beginning his freshman year, he started in the Seminoles' secondary, played outfield for the baseball team that finished fifth in the nation, and helped lead the track and field team to a conference championship. At Florida State, under head coach Bobby Bowden, Sanders was a two time consensus All-American cornerback in 1987 and 1988, and a third team All-American in 1986, intercepting 14 passes in his career, including three in bowl games, and managed to return one interception 100 yards for a touchdown. He won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1988. He was also a standout punt returner for Florida State, leading the nation in 1988 with his punt return average, and breaking the school's record for career punt return yards. His jersey at Florida State, #2, was retired in 1995. Sanders helped seal the 1988 Sugar Bowl for the Seminoles by picking off an Auburn pass in the last seconds. While playing baseball under head coach Mike Martin, at Florida State, Sanders hit .331 in 1986; he was known more for base stealing, swiping 27 bags in 1987. Sanders would go on to be drafted while in college by the New York Yankees (He also was selected by the Kansas City Royals out of North Fort Myers High School, though he did not sign.) On one occasion, Sanders played the first game of a baseball doubleheader, ran a leg of a 4x100 relay, then returned to play another baseball game. [edit] Family Sanders has been married twice — to Carolyn Chambers, with whom he has two children (Deiondra and Deion Jr.), and Pilar Biggers with whom he has 3 children (Shilo, Shedeur and Shelomi). [edit] Celebrity Family Feud Deion appeared with his family on NBC's new show Celebrity Family Feud which premiered on June 24th, 2008. [edit] MLB career Deion Sanders Outfielder Born: August 9, 1967 (1967-08-09) (age 40) Batted: Left Threw: Left MLB debut May 31, 1989 for the New York Yankees Final game June 14, 2001 for the Cincinnati Reds Career statistics AVG .263 Hits 558 SB 186 Teams New York Yankees (1989-1990) Atlanta Braves (1991-1994) Cincinnati Reds (1994-1995, 1997, 2001) San Francisco Giants (1995) Career highlights and awards Led NL in triples in 1992 with 14 Sanders played a nine-year, part-time baseball career, playing 641 games with 4 teams. During his most productive year, 1992, he hit .304 for the Braves, stole 26 bases, and led the NL with 14 triples in 97 games. During the 1989 season, he hit a home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week, the first (and only) player to do so. Sanders is the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. In four games of the 1992 World Series, Sanders batted .533 with 4 runs, 8 hits, 2 doubles, and 1 RBI while playing with a broken bone in his foot. Despite Sanders's performance, he and his Braves ultimately lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games. In 1997, Sanders finished 2nd in the NL with 56 stolen bases in 115 games. [edit] NFL career [edit] Atlanta Falcons Sanders's professional football career started the same year as his baseball career, 1989. He was the fifth pick overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he played until 1993. On Sanders' first career kick return, he returned it for a touchdown. During his time there, he intercepted 24 passes (including a career high 7 in 1993), three of which he returned for touchdowns. In 1992, he also led the league in kickoff return yards (1,067), yards per return (26.7) and return touchdowns (2). Over his five years with the Falcons, Sanders found his way to the end zone ten times (three defensive, three kick returns, two punt returns, and two receptions). During his stay in Atlanta, Sanders claimed that the Georgia Dome was his own house.[2] [edit] San Francisco 49ers After five seasons Sanders signed on to play one season with the San Francisco 49ers, where he had arguably his best season as a professional football player, recording six interceptions and returning them for an NFL best 303 yards and three touchdowns. On October 16, 1994, Deion was the big story as he made his dramatic return to the Georgia Dome in a 49er uniform. After getting into a scuffle with his former Falcon teammate Andre Rison, Sanders intercepted a pass from quarterback Jeff George and proceeded to return it 93 yards while mockingly staring down the entire Falcons sideline before high-stepping into the end zone. Sanders was later voted the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and recorded an interception in the 49ers 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. After the season, Jerry Rice and Sanders publicly feuded — Rice fumed at the idea that the media felt Sanders was the missing link to the 49ers Super Bowl run and that it was not giving credit to the other 52 men in the locker room[citation needed]. This ultimately resulted in Sanders feeling unappreciated by the 49ers organization and he opted to leave the team. [edit] Dallas Cowboys After his public dispute with Jerry Rice and not feeling valued with 49ers, Sanders with his agent Eugene Parker, proceeded to court numerous teams in need of an All-Pro cornerback. Several teams in the "Deion sweepstakes," as it was coined by the media that year, were the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and the Dallas Cowboys who ironically lost their starting cornerback Kevin Smith to injury for the rest of the season. On September 9, 1995, Sanders signed a lucrative contract with the Dallas Cowboys (seven years, $35 million with a $12.99 million signing bonus), essentially making him at the time, the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. Sanders later stated in his book "Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life", that the Oakland Raiders offered him more money than any other team, but he chose to play in Dallas because of his friendship with Cowboys' wide receiver Michael Irvin, more time on the offensive side of the ball, and a chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Arthroscopic surgery kept him sidelined until his debut in Week 9 once again, against the Atlanta Falcons, only this time, Sanders debut with his new team was not as dramatic as it was with the 49ers. He later went on to help the Cowboys win their third Super Bowl title in four years with a win in Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he returned a punt for 11 yards and caught a 47-yard reception on offense, setting up Dallas' first touchdown of the game and a 27-17 victory. He is the only player in NFL history to catch a pass and make an interception in the Super Bowl. At the trophy presentation, Sanders stated, "I didn't even get to hold the trophy last year" in regards to his previous employer in San Francisco. Sanders proceeded to play 4 more seasons with Dallas earning Pro Bowl berths in all of them, although the Cowboys only won one playoff game (1996 against the Minnesota Vikings) in that time. [edit] Washington Redskins After five seasons with the Cowboys, new Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder pursued Sanders along with other high priced free agents Mark Carrier and Bruce Smith. Sanders played one season with the Redskins, having four interceptions before retiring in 2001. Late in the 2002 NFL season Sanders contemplated a return to the NFL, specifically to the Oakland Raiders. With his rights still the property of the Redskins, he lobbied and received his release from the team and was waived. The San Diego Chargers claimed Sanders' rights and placed him on their Reserve-Retired List. Sanders opted to stay retired. [edit] Baltimore Ravens In 2004, lured back to football by Ravens cornerback Corey Fuller, linebacker Ray Lewis and long time partner Joe Zorovich, Sanders announced that he was going to end his retirement. He signed a 1-year deal reportedly[citation needed] worth $1.5 million with the Baltimore Ravens to be a nickelback. Sanders chose to wear the number 37, which matched his age at the time, to preemptively let people know that he was well aware of his relative senior status for an NFL player (additionally, the number 21 used by Sanders throughout his career, was already in use on the Ravens by Pro-Bowler Chris McAlister). On October 24, Sanders scored his ninth career touchdown on an interception return against the Buffalo Bills, moving him into a tie for second place with Ken Houston and Aeneas Williams behind Rod Woodson (12) all-time in that category. In January 2006, Sanders once again retired from the NFL, becoming an analyst for the NFL Network. [edit] Legacy During his 14-year NFL career, Sanders was a perennial All-Pro and one of the most feared pass defenders to ever play the game. He ran a 4.18 in the 40 yard dash making him the second fastest in the NFL to Derek A. Stroud, who ran a 4.12. At the height of his career, his reputation was so great that opposing offensive coordinators almost always specifically accounted for him in their game-plan[citation needed]. He was widely known to shut down "his" half of the field, causing most quarterbacks to essentially ignore the receiver he was covering. Although critics argued that his tackling was poor and he was not much of a factor in run support, they could not deny his unparalleled closing speed. Sanders' speed and athleticism enabled him to blanket the best receivers while playing one of football's toughest positions. Sanders also occasionally lined up with his team's offense. During the 1996 season, Sanders skipped the baseball season by concentrating strictly on football and attended the first NFL training camp of his career to better familiarize himself with the nuances of the wide receiver position. He became the first two-way starter in the NFL since Chuck Bednarik for the first half of the season due to Michael Irvin serving a five game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. During his career, Sanders intercepted 52 passes for 1,331 yards (a 25.1 yards per return average), ran 56 times for 1,578 yards, recovered four fumbles for 15 yards, returned 155 kickoffs for 3,523 yards, gained 2,199 yards on 212 punt returns, and caught 60 passes for 784 yards. Sanders amassed 7,838 all-purpose yards and scored 22 touchdowns: nine interception returns, six punt returns, three kickoff returns, three receiving, and one fumble recovery. His 19 defensive and return touchdowns are an NFL record. He also allowed 2,842 extra yards rushing in plays called against his side of the field. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls in 1991--1994, 1996-1999. He was also awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1994. College Football News named Sanders #8 in its list of 100 Greatest College Football Players of All-Time. The Sporting News named Sanders #37 in their Top 100 Football Players of the Century released in 1999. ESPN named Sanders #74 in its list of the 100 Great Athletes of the Century released in 1999. Sanders also had a rushing TD in the playoffs (against the Philadelphia Eagles in January 1996). This makes him (including post season) one of only two players in NFL history (Bill Dudley) to score a touchdown six different ways (interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, and a fumble recovery). [edit] "Prime Time" persona Deion Sanders will mostly be remembered sporting his famous "do-rag or bandana" and for his "High-Stepping" into the end zone followed by his touchdown dance celebrations. At the same time, Sanders will also be remembered for being one of the most visible and outspoken football players to ever take the field due to his alter-ego, Prime Time. A marketing ploy every bit as much as an alternate personality as it was given to him by a friend and high school teammate, Florida Gators defensive back Richard Fain. The two played pickup basketball games together during the prime time television hour, and Sanders' athletic display during those games won him that title. Once in the NFL, Sanders felt he deserved to be paid every bit as much as NFL quarterbacks and in 1995 he used the "Prime Time" strategy to sign a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys (the contract was essentially five years, but was given a seven-year length for an easier cap hit and the signing bonus was $12,999,999.99, 1 cent under 13.0 million due to superstition by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.) At one point, he was the highest paid defensive player in the league and set the benchmark price-tag for future "shut-down corners". [edit] Other ventures In addition to his sports career, Sanders has moved on to other ventures after his retirement. In 2003, Sanders took interest in Devin Hester and DeAngelo Hall, two return specialists from the University of Miami and Virginia Tech. Sanders mentored Hester and Hall, counseling and advising them both during various points of their collegiate career. The Chicago Bears drafted Hester in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Since then, Hester has broken, tied, or approached many NFL return records. Hester has cited Sanders as one of his major inspirations and idols, and thanked him for his training and advice. Hester, also known as “Anytime,” occasionally performs Sanders’ signature touchdown dance and high-steps in homage to his mentor. DeAngelo Hall, on the other hand, was like a son to Sanders, who began teaching Hall everything he knew [3][4][5] Sanders also tried to adopt a high school running back, Noel Devine, who was one of the top recruits in 2007. Sanders was advised against this, but responded, "He doesn't have parents; they died. God put this young man in my heart. This is not about sports. This is about a kid's life." He now mentors Devine, and was a factor in Devine's extended wait to sign a letter-of-intent to West Virginia University. Devine eventually signed to play football for the Mountaineers. In January 2004, Sanders was hired as an assistant coach to the Dallas Fury, a women's professional basketball team in the National Women's Basketball League, even though Sanders had never played organized basketball either in college or the professional level, although he had originally been dubbed "Prime Time" due to his prowess as a basketball player in high school.[6] After retiring from the NFL, Sanders worked as a sports pre-game commentator for CBS' The NFL Today until 2004, when contract negotiations failed. He was replaced by Shannon Sharpe. During Sanders's run, he participated in several sketches. The first was "Primetime and 21st," a mock street corner where Sanders (not yet a regular panelist) would give his opinions. Another was his "Sanders Claus" persona, one of numerous sketches that involved young kids in football jerseys, representing NFL players, receiving a sarcastic gift from Sanders. "Sanders Claus" did Christmas while Halloween and Thanksgiving versions were also used. Deion actually debuted as "Sanders Claus" in a set of Nike commercials. Still to this day Deion takes presents at Christmas time to local children's hospitals in his area dressed as "Sanders Claus". Sanders frequently made guest appearances on ESPN, especially on the ESPN Radio Dallas affiliate, and briefly hosted a show called The New American Sportsman. He also hosted the 2002 Miss USA pageant. Sanders also was co-host of the 2004 GMA Music Awards broadcast, taped in late April 2004, slated for an airing on UPN in May 2004. When negotiations with fellow Viacom property CBS failed (see above) two weeks before the broadcast, and he signed a deal with ESPN, UPN promptly cancelled the broadcast, and the show aired on the i Network in December 2004 (both UPN and CBS are now owned by CBS Corporation). On September 2, 2005, in response to the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina, Sanders challenged all professional athletes in the four major sports to donate $1,000 each to relief efforts, hoping to raise between $1.5 and $3 million total. Sanders said "Through unity, we can touch thousands....I have friends and relatives that feel this pain. Help in any way you can." In April 2006, Sanders became an owner of the Austin Wranglers, an Arena Football League team.[7] On March 2, 2007, Deion, on behalf of "Sanders Clause," made an appearance at the PCW Arena in Arlington, Texas. He made his special appearance for a young adult with a physical illness. The boy's name is Jeffery Stallone. Alongside PCW Tag Team Champion’s Lance Hoyt (“Shadow”), Wally Darkmon, “Main Event” Mike Foxx, and “The Texas Legend” Action Jackson, they talked to a standing room only arena about Jeffery’s illness and Sanders made the announcement that he will hold a special benefit show for Jeffery “The Snake” Stallone on March 17, 2007 at the PCW Arena, which then occurred on the given date. Sanders currently works as a host with Rich Eisen and Steve Mariucci for the NFL GameDay show on the NFL Network. Sanders also appeared on the ESPN TV show Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith three times. Sanders currently stars in his own reality show -- Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love -- centered around him, his wife, and their five children, all of whom live in the small town of Prosper, Texas