Coach Prime Says Positivity Is Key To Success And Good Health

In late July, football legend and University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders revealed that during the offseason, he had been diagnosed with bladder cancer and had also been successfully treated for his condition.

I spoke with the Hall of Fame player and Florida State icon a week ago over Zoom, and, as one would expect, Coach Prime’s outlook was positive and thankful, and his conversations transparent.

“My health journey is very important to me, and as you know, it was touch and go for a minute,” he said.

Certainly, Sanders has had his share of health challenges, especially for someone as active as he is.

In late 2021, while coaching at Jackson State, Sanders developed blood clots in his left leg and underwent surgery and hospitalization for over three weeks. His treatments reportedly included having two toes amputated. In the following weeks, Sanders began rehab while continuing to coach from Colorado’s sidelines.

During the summer of 2023, another surgery addressed blood clots near his groin, followed by some ongoing nerve pain and swelling in his left leg and foot the following spring.

Yet, after a 9-4 second season and a bowl game appearance with Colorado last year, things are looking up for the ever-positive and magnetic Sanders.

Sanders just turned 58 in early August, and he said it’s not just visits to the doctor or fitness regimens that are top of mind right now. He said consuming the right foods is a big part of maintaining one’s health.

Earlier this month, Sanders signed on as a spokesperson for California Almonds and has been speaking on the topics of health and nutrition, while gearing up for the 2025 NCAA Football season.

“For me, it’s vital that I eat the right things and employ the right relationships to remain health and remain fundamentally sound. I want to keep my peace, my joy, my love,” Sanders added, “and almonds help me do that. And it keeps my skin looking fly.”

He added: “I just gotta be really conscious of what I do, what I eat, and who I’m around.”

Sanders also talked about his younger years in the 1980s and 1990s as a top-flight athlete, during a time at the end of the 20th century in which young people weren’t thought to have many concerns about what they ate. He hints that as a younger athlete, his fitness regimen and working out were it.

“Back in the day, you did whatever. We weren’t as health-conscious or as savvy as we are now.” Sanders, who was sitting in the head coach’s office at CU when I spoke to him, said that “right now, we have almonds around the complex,” also adding that his players, or “the kids can grab (them) throughout the day,” including before, during, and after practice.

Related story: Coach Prime wants young people to save and invest

“Now, everyone has resources, and what we have at CU is to give the kids the best. We want our players to have the best, and what we have in play is based on what they want to achieve in life.”

Sanders stated that mindful eating and proper nutrition are integral to the University of Colorado’s football program and other athletics programs. However, Sanders believes that helping all young athletes make better choices on and off the field is largely about relationships.

“Young people are not simply going to listen to anyone, but they take advice when you have a relationship. Not only that, but if you are taking the right steps in life and they deem you successful, they’re going to try to imitate and emulate what you’ve done.”

Tomorrow night, the Buffaloes take on Georgia Tech at home, followed by another home game against Delaware, September 6.

Then, it’s deep into the Big 12 action, with Colorado taking on Houston on September 12, followed by other conference clashes versus BYU on September 27, as well as TCU and No. 22-ranked Iowa State in early October.

Sanders explained that it’s not only his personal success as a player and public figure that helps motivate his team.

“We have three Hall of Famers coaching here, all of whom have had success in the NFL. And we’re trying to build that road map for (CU’s players) in that direction.

In addition to him as head coach, the Buffaloes also boast Marshall Faulk as running backs coach and Super Bowl LV winner Warren Sapp as the team’s senior quality control analyst. There’s also former head coach Bill McCartney, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee who led the Buffaloes to their last national championship in 1990.

That said, Sanders also speaks very highly of his players.

“We don’t have anybody around here going to jail, getting into trouble, or abusing anybody. Everyone around here is doing the right things and making the right choices, and I’m grateful for that.

Read Frye’s recent interviews with Barry Sanders and ASU QB Sam Leavitt.

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