BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders is the 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, "Sports Illustrated" announced Thursday.
The head football coach at Colorado is featured on the cover of the latest issue of the magazine.
Sanders is joined in the cover photo at Boulder's Folsom Field by outgoing CU chancellor Phil DiStefano, athletic director Rick George, 99-year-old CU superfan Peggy Coppom, as well as his children: social media creator Deion Jr., Buffs quarterback Shedeur, Buffs safety Shilo, and Colorado basketball player Shelomi.
Sanders was introduced as Colorado's head coach on Dec. 3, 2022. In the 12 months since, "Sports Illustrated" said he's breathed fresh life into CU Boulder while transforming the country's worst football program.
Colorado finished the 2023 season with a 4-8 record, an improvement from its 1-11 record the season before. CU sold out every home game at Folsom Field for the first time in school history.
September sales at the school’s online team store were up 2,544% over the same month in 2022, said "Sports Illustrated."
Off the field, first-year applications at the University of Colorado are up 26.4% year over year; Black or African American applications are up 80.6%; nonresident applications are up 29.8%; and international applications are up 38.4% from 97 countries, "Sports Illustrated" reported.
The Buffs are headed to the Big 12 in 2024 for the first time since the 2010 season and the league will compete as a 16-team conference for the first time after CU and fellow Pac-12 teams Arizona, Arizona State and Utah also join.
Sanders and the Buffs will open the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, hosting North Dakota State at Folsom Field in Boulder. Next season, Colorado will play non-conference games at Nebraska on Sept. 7 and at Colorado State on Sept. 14.
CU's 2024 home opponents are Utah, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Cincinnati. The Buffaloes will face Arizona, Texas Tech, Kansas, and UCF on the road.
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