Entertainment - Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders Named 2023 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year

The Sportsperson Of The Year Issue Is On Pre-Sale Now And Newsstands December 14 Photography credit: Jeffery A. Salter/Sports Illustrated - (Photo: Business Wire)

Three-Time Sportsperson Honoree LeBron James, Football Hall Of Famer Jerry Rice, And More Pay Tribute To Sanders In Series Of Essays

NEW YORK, NY USA -- (BUSINESS WIRE)

Friday December 1, 2023

Sports Illustrated (SI) revealed Deion Sanders, the University of Colorado Buffaloes head football coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer, as the 2023 Sportsperson of the Year. Sanders's blend of unparalleled athletic accomplishments and transformative impact on the football program, school, and community of Boulder transcends sports and ripples throughout the culture.

Over the past year, "Coach Prime" rebuilt Colorado, turning a team that won one game in 2022 into one of the country's most popular programs and biggest audience draws.

Online team store sales have skyrocketed, and every home game at Folsom Field saw a sold-out crowd for the first time in school history, boasting record-setting viewership. Off the field, the Prime Effect was felt in the Colorado admissions office-first-year, Black, and nonresident applications have all surged at the school-and in the Boulder community, where football success has sparked an economic boom for local businesses.

The strides made in Boulder alone don't fully explain why Sanders is SI's 2023 Sportsperson of the Year. According to SI senior writer Pat Forde, his use of the transfer portal, his recruiting prowess and his embrace of NIL opportunities for his players are all changing the paradigm of what it takes to build a national-profile college football program. The Sanders journey is just beginning to remake the college football landscape.

"Deion Sanders dominated the sports conversation in 2023 as a transformative figure not just in Colorado, but for the entire realm of college sports," said Stephen Cannella, Editor in Chief of Sports Illustrated. "On and off the field, he represents a new model for the modern college coach. The Sportsperson of the Year honor, a distinction for some of the most legendary figures in sports over the past seven decades, is now enriched by the addition of Deion to its roster."

The annual Sportsperson of the Year Issue goes on sale Thursday, December 14 with pre-sale orders available now. On the evening of Wednesday, December 6, SI will honor Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders with the 2023 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Award, alongside the season two world premiere screening of Coach Prime on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. The hit docuseries from SMAC Productions transports fans inside the locker room and onto the field for the 2023 season and premieres on Prime Video on December 7.

On the Cover

Going back to November 1989, Sanders has headlined six previous Sports Illustrated cover stories. This time around, SI details how Sanders has brought new life to the Colorado campus and helped transform a community. Among the entourage joining Sanders on this year's Sportsperson of the Year cover are the University of Colorado Chancellor Philip DiStefano, Athletic Director Rick George, 99-year-old superfan Peggy Coppom, Sanders's children Deion Jr., Shedeur, Shelomi, and Shilo, longtime manager and SMAC Entertainment Co-founder/CEO Constance Schwartz-Morini, trusted advisors Ray Forsett and Sam Morini, and a crowd of dedicated Buffs fans.

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