BOULDER, Colo. – Colorado football coach Deion Sanders returned to the sideline here Saturday Oct. 11 against Iowa State, inspiring his team with his energy just four days after undergoing surgery to clear blood clots in his left leg.
He apparently did not sit down during his team’s 24-17 win against the No. 22 Cyclones. ESPN reported during its broadcast an assistant on the sideline was following Sanders around with a stool in case he needed it. Sanders instead stood and prowled the sideline like normal as his Buffaloes held on for the win in front of 52,698 at Folsom Field.
Sanders, 58, didn’t talk about his situation in his postgame news conference. But his players did after Sanders returned to coach his team at practice the next morning following his surgery Oct. 7.
‘It gave us a reason to fight, a great reason to fight,’ Colorado linebacker Jeremiah Brown said after the game. ‘Coach Prime had the surgery Tuesday. He came back that Wednesday morning after a four-hour surgery. He (was) hurt and he (was) limping on the field, hurting, still running around. He was giving us all the energy we need. So I think that’s all we needed to fight.’
Offensive lineman Zy Crisler said Sanders’ comeback this week ‘motivated the team tremendously.’
‘I mean, going into surgery and the next morning, you had practice is crazy,’ Crisler said. ‘But man, Coach Prime is a warrior. He gonna do what he got to do, and I salute Coach Prime.’
What is Deion Sanders’ health history?
In his previous game Oct. 4 at TCU, Sanders was seen sitting down during the game and took a shoe because he said he was “hurting like crazy” and suspected it was because of blood clots. He has battled blood-circulation issues over the last four years and even had two toes amputated from his left foot in 2021, forcing him to miss three games that year when he was coach at Jackson State.
The surgery on Oct. 7 was the 16th since that time, according to videos posted by his son Deion Jr. He also had his bladder removed in May after a cancerous tumor was discovered during a medical appointment related to his vascular issues, which have involved arterial blood clots in his lower body.
Other coaches have sat during games
When he returned to the sideline after surgeries in 2021, Sanders coached Jackson State from a motorized wheelchair.
Other coaches have been forced to sit because of health issues, too, although it’s rare. Penn State coach Joe Paterno coached from a seat in the press box late in his career because of health issues. In 2019, Liberty coach Hugh Freeze coached from a bed in the press box as he recovered from a staph infection and back pain.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman also coached a game at Missouri from the press box after suffering from a broken hip.
Coaching from the press box is problematic because it separates the coach from his players on the field and makes it hard for the coach to join his team in the locker room at halftime. Being immobile on the sideline also is problematic because coaches need to follow their teams up and down the field as they communicate with their players and game officials.
Sanders and Colorado (3-4) have an off weekend next week before returning to play Oct. 25 at Utah.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
