Deion Luwynn Sanders (pronounced /ˈdiːɒn/; born August 9, 1967),[1] nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 6, 2011. Sanders is considered one of the most versatile athletes in sporting history because he played two sports at multiple positions. In the NFL, he played primarily at cornerback, but also occasionally as a running back, wide receiver, kick returner, and punt returner. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins, and the Baltimore Ravens, winning the Super Bowl with both the 49ers and the Cowboys. In baseball, he played for the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, and the San Francisco Giants. He attended Florida State University, where he excelled at bo! th football and baseball . Contents 1 Biography 1.1 High school years 1.2 College career 1.3 Personal life 2 MLB career 3 NFL career 3.1 Atlanta Falcons 3.2 San Francisco 49ers 3.3 Dallas Cowboys 3.4 Washington Redskins 3.5 Baltimore Ravens 3.6 Legacy 4 Media appearances and pop culture fame 5 "Prime Time" personality 6 Other ventures 7 Discography 8 See also 9 References 10 External links [edit] Biography [edit] High school years Sanders was born in Fort Myers, Florida. He attended North Fort Myers High School in North Fort Myers, Florida, and was a letterman and credited All-State in football, basketball, and baseball. He was an All-State honoree in all three sports. In 1985, 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. [edit] College career Sanders was a star in three sports for Florida State: football, baseball, and track. B! eginning his freshman year, he started in the Seminoles' secon! dary, 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 University, under head coach Bobby Bowden, Sanders was a two time consensus All-American cornerback in 1986 and 1987, and a third team All-American in 1988, intercepting 14 passes in his career, including three in bowl games, and managed to return one interception 100 yards for a touchdown breaking Fred Biletnikoff's interception return record by one yard. 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. Based on those accolades, his jersey at Florida State, #2, was retired in 1995. He finished his career with 126 PR for 1,429 yards.[2] While playing baseball under head coach Mike Martin, at Florida State, Sanders hit .331 in 1986; he was known more! for base stealing, compiling 27 stolen bases in 1987. Sanders was 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.) Sanders once played the first game of a baseball doubleheader, ran a leg of a 4x100 relay, then returned to play another baseball game. [edit] Personal life Sanders has been married twice — to Carolyn Chambers, with whom he has two children (Deion Jr. and Deiondra), and Pilar Biggers with whom he has 3 children (Shilo, Shedeur and Shelomi). Deion appeared with his family on the NBC show Celebrity Family Feud which premiered on June 24, 2008. As of September 24, 2011, Sanders had reportedly filed for divorce from his wife Pilar Biggers-Sanders; however, those reports turned out to be false.[3] As of December 17, 2011, Sanders admitted he was, in fact, getting divorced.[citation needed] Deion Sanders, along with J.M. Black, published his autobiography.! Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life. World Publi! shing 1998. The book was inspired after he began counseling with Bishop T.D. Jakes. Sanders notes his agent Eugene E. Parker as another person who also influenced his life. [edit] MLB career Sanders played a nine-year, part-time baseball career, playing left and center field in 641 games with 4 teams. He was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 6th round of the 1985 draft, but did not sign with them. Had he signed with the Royals, he would have had a chance to be teammates with Bo Jackson, another dual NFL-MLB player. He was drafted again in the 30th round of the 1988 draft by the New York Yankees and signed with the team on June 22. Sanders later signed with the Atlanta Braves, and during his most productive year in the majors, the 1992 season, he hit .304 for the team, stole 26 bases, and led the NL with 14 triples in 97 games. During the 1989 season, he hit a major league home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week, the only player ever to ! do so. Sanders is also the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.[4] Sanders is known in Braves lore as the player who brought the "tomahawk chop". It was adopted by those fans, as Sanders, a Florida State alum, was familiar with the Seminoles War Chant. The tomahawk chop continues to be a rally gesture for Braves fans.[5] On May 22, 1990, Sanders became involved in a dispute with MLB catcher Carlton Fisk. Sanders, a Yankee, started by stepping up to the plate with one out and a runner on third, drawing a dollar sign in the dirt before the pitch and then failed to run to first base after hitting a routine pop fly to shortstop, trotting back to the dugout instead. The Yankee fans booed, and Fisk, who was on the opposing Chicago White Sox, told Sanders to "run the fucking ball out" and called Sanders a "piece of shit." Later in the game, Sanders told Fisk that "the days of slavery are over." Fisk was furious. "He comes up and wants to make it a racial issue! , there's no racial issue involved. There is a right way and a wrong wa! y to play this game."[6][7][8] The infamous incident was later recounted by Fisk on both ESPN Classic and a CNBC interview with Tim Russert on his show.[citation needed] On July 31 of the 1991 MLB season, Sanders hit a key three-run homer to spark a comeback win against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Braves' improbable run to the National League West Division title. However, he had to leave the Braves the very next day to report to the Atlanta Falcons because of a clause in his NFL contract and missed the postseason. Before the 1992 season, Sanders reworked his NFL deal whereby he still reported to the Falcons for training camp in August, but was allowed to rejoin the Braves for the postseason. Sanders batting for the Braves in 1993. 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, the Braves ultimately lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in six gam! es. In Game 3, he narrowly avoided being a victim of what would have been only the second triple play in World Series history (following Bill Wambsganss's unassisted triple play in 1920). With Sanders on second base and Terry Pendleton on first, David Justice hit a deep fly ball to center field that Blue Jays center fielder Devon White unexpectedly caught with a leaping effort. Pendleton passed Sanders on the bases for the second out, but umpire Bob Davidson called Sanders safe after he scampered back to second base. Replays showed that Toronto third baseman Kelly Gruber tagged him on the heel before he returned to second.[9] In 1997, Sanders finished 2nd in the NL with 56 stolen bases in 115 games while with the Cincinnati Reds before leaving baseball for three years. Sanders returned to the Reds in 2001, but was released after playing in only 29 games and batting just .173. Following his release from the Reds he signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays tr! iple-A affiliate, Syracuse Chiefs. Sanders was hitting .337 for Syracus! e before the Washington Redskins found a loophole in his contract that said he could miss training camp and the first few games of the season if he were playing Major League Baseball. Since he was not currently on an MLB roster, Sanders had to leave Syracuse and return to the Redskins so he would not violate his NFL contract. But before arriving at training camp, Sanders informed Redskins personnel he was retiring from professional baseball. In his final professional baseball game, Sanders hit a solo home run and an RBI single in Syracuse's 12-6 win over the Toledo Mud Hens. [10] As those in MLB and the NFL urged Sanders to concentrate on only one sport, he would often explain, "football is my wife and baseball is my mistress."[11] [edit] NFL career [edit] Atlanta Falcons Sanders' professional football career started the same year as his baseball career, 1989. At the 1989 NFL Scouting Combine, Sanders ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, which was considered to be second in Comb! ine history behind Bo Jackson of Auburn in 1986.[12] He was the fifth pick overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons,[13] where he played until 1993. Sanders returned his first career punt return for a touchdown. During his time in Atlanta, 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). On October 11, 1992, Sanders played in a Falcons game at Miami and then flew to Pittsburgh, hoping to play in the Braves' League Championship Series game against the Pirates that evening and become the first athlete to play in two professional leagues in the same day.[4] Sanders ultimately did not, however, appear in the baseball game that night.[4][14] Over his five years with the
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Deion Luwynn Sanders (born August 9, 1967), nicknamed! "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League co! rnerback and Major League Baseball Read the rest
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Deion Sanders . Height: 6-1 Weight: 198 Age: 44 Born: 8/9/1967 Fort Myers , FL College: Florida State Read the rest
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Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Deion Sande! rs joined NFL Network as an analyst prior to the 2006 season. Sanders, joins host Rich Eisen and Steve Mariucci on Read the rest
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WELCOME. On behalf of Myself and my Family, I would like to say Thank You to all my friends and fans for all your support throughout my career. Being inducted into Read the rest
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Deion Sanders is firing back at his estranged wife Pilar, claiming her recent accusations -- that he's a narcissistic serial cheater-- are just a "shady Read the rest
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NFL legend Deion Sanders and his estranged wife, Pilar, are embroiled in a messy divorce that seems destined to get even uglier, and his wife's attorney Read the rest