Deion Sanders, the Colorado Buffaloes head coach and one of American football's most famous figures, says he now considers himself cancer-free, ESPN reported, as he prepares to lead the team into the coming season.
The health battle
Sanders revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer, which doctors discovered in 2025 during a routine scan, as CBS Sports reported. Deemed high-risk, the cancer was treated with a robotic operation in which surgeons removed his bladder and built him a new one using part of his intestine, carried out at the University of Colorado's Anschutz medical campus. Sanders, who spoke candidly about side effects including incontinence, said his recovery had been hard but that he felt like himself again. "I've got my swagger back," he said.
Who he is
Known universally as "Coach Prime" — and, in his playing days, "Prime Time" — Sanders is among the most decorated athletes in American sports history, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback who also played Major League Baseball. After a star turn coaching at Jackson State, he took over at Colorado in a hire that brought a wave of attention to the program. His health has been closely followed for years: he has previously dealt with serious blood clots in his legs and the amputation of two toes, struggles he has spoken about openly.
Back on the sideline
Sanders' diagnosis and surgery had been a source of concern around the program, and his return to full health removes a significant question mark hanging over the team. For a coach whose public profile is built as much on his presence and personality as on results, simply being back — visible, energetic, and, by his own account, restored — carries weight beyond the win-loss column.
His candor about a cancer that strikes many thousands of people each year, and about the indignities of recovery, drew an outpouring of support. For now, Sanders framed the milestone simply: he is, he said, healthy again, and ready to get back to work.
