Deion Sanders is shaking up the football program at Colorado, and his presence is having an immediate impact.
Sanders was hired away from Jackson State in December in order to revive a Colorado program that has fallen on hard times.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks during a press conference at the Arrow Touchdown Club. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
The Buffaloes went 1-11 in 2022 and have won double-digit games just once in the past 21 seasons.
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The arrival of “Coach Prime” has awakened the once-storied program, with Colorado setting attendance records for its Spring Game, and the school selling out of season tickets for the first time in 27 years.
The Spring Game was a smashing success, according to Colorado athletic director Rick George.
“Just the merchandise sales was the largest we’ve had of any home game this past year, so that in itself was good,” George told Buff Zone. “Obviously when you have 47,000 people there, there’s revenue that’s generated from that, and concessions.
“It was positive revenue for us, and it was really good exposure for us to be on national TV. It was a good day for Colorado athletics.”
Deion Sanders, CUs new head football coach, and athletic director Rick George, right, chat in the Arrow Touchdown Club during a press conference on Dec. 4, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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According to Buff Zone, Colorado will make a net profit of around $200,000 from the game, selling tickets to a Spring Game for the first time since the 1980s.
The program also made around $123,000 from the team store, a record for the program.
The arrival of Sanders will put Colorado in the limelight during the 2023 college football season, with the Buffs opening the year against TCU on FOX as part of the network’s “Big Noon Saturday” telecast.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders acknowledges the fans before the Black and Gold game at Folsom Field April 22, 2023. (Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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The Buffaloes will travel to Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 2 in order to take on the Horned Frogs – the national champion runner-ups – with kickoff scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the ‘Big Noon Saturday’ broadcast window for our season opener at TCU,” George said. “To be one of two games showcased and announced by FOX at the Upfronts shows how much excitement there is for the Coach Prime Era to begin on a National scale.”
