Boulder, Colorado
News Desk | Sports
Deion Sanders, head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, returned to the classroom Tuesday as guest lecturer “Professor Prime,” according to university officials, days after publicly disclosing that he underwent surgery for bladder cancer and is now considered cured. The 58-year-old Hall of Famer spoke April 21 to students in “Prime Time: Public Performance and Leadership,” a course inspired by his career, addressing self-identity, career choices and personal discipline. The appearance marked his third consecutive year speaking to the class, the university said.
Deion Sanders arrived by golf cart with a bodyguard and addressed roughly 30 students, sharing lessons from his NFL and Major League Baseball careers while answering questions, according to a YouTube video documented by his son Deion Jr. Colorado associate professor Rick Stevens, who teaches the course, said Sanders “was as engaging as he usually is” and has been among several guest faculty since the class began in 2024.
The classroom visit came one day after Deion Sanders held a press conference on July 28, 2025, in Boulder, where he revealed he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer earlier in the spring. He said his medical team, led by Dr. Janet Kukreja at the University of Colorado Hospital, removed his bladder and created a neobladder using a portion of his intestine. Sanders told reporters his oncologist now considers him cured and he intends to continue coaching the Buffaloes into his third season.
During the press conference, Deion Sanders wore a cowboy hat, sunglasses, a white shirt and denim overalls, and thanked his medical team and God for his recovery, drawing applause from those in attendance. He later told CBS Sports that he has undergone 14 surgeries since 2021, including the recent procedure to remove the cancerous tumor. The coach had previously been away from the team in June while dealing with an unspecified illness at his home in Texas, the university confirmed.
Health concerns have followed Sanders throughout his tenure at Colorado. In 2021, while coaching at Jackson State, he had two toes on his left foot amputated due to blood clots. Following Colorado’s 35-21 loss to TCU this season, Deion Sanders told reporters he was experiencing intense leg pain and feared new blood clots, adding that he was “not getting blood to my leg.” He said he had a doctor’s appointment scheduled to evaluate the issue.
This season, the coach has also made adjustments on the sideline due to his recovery. At the Buffaloes’ 2025 season opener against Georgia Tech, a branded portable restroom was stationed by the bench as part of a sponsorship with Depend, the incontinence brand Deion Sanders has publicly supported since his bladder surgery. Sanders said the change reflects “a totally different life” following treatment and has used the platform to encourage health awareness.
On social media Monday, Deion Sanders posted a message urging followers to “make it happen,” writing that “God is on your side,” a reflection of the faith he cited during his recovery. He has not disclosed further details about his treatment timeline, and university officials have not indicated any changes to his coaching duties.
Sanders, known as “Coach Prime,” took over the Colorado program ahead of the 2023 season and led the Buffaloes to a 9-win campaign and their first non-COVID bowl game since 2016 last year, the school said. He told former teammate Michael Irvin in a recent interview that there is “a possibility” Colorado could reach the College Football Playoff, noting the competitiveness of the Big 12.
The Buffaloes are scheduled to host Iowa State on Oct. 11, but it remains to be seen if Sanders will require additional medical treatment before then. For now, he remains active with the team and the university community.
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