BOULDER, Colo. — It's a new era for the Colorado Buffaloes, welcoming football legend Deion Sanders as their new head coach.
"If you follow football, you know a lot that he’s done," University of Colorado student Daniel Mun said. "I just want to see him on the sideline getting pumped. It’s going to be exciting."
The former NFL star, also known as "Coach Prime," left the historically Black Jackson State University, where he coached the Tigers for the past three seasons.
Sanders spoke after being introduced as the new head football coach at the University of Colorado during a news conference Sunday.
"This is my job and my occupation and my business and my dream to bring you back to where you know you should belong," Sanders said during Sunday's press briefing.
"I am super excited for Deion Sanders to be here," student David Morehouse said. "His experience in turning an underdog into a winner is going to help us a whole lot."
"I bought season tickets this year for the football games. It was depressing leaving at half-time every time because we’d be blown out," said Jackson Leach, a University of Colorado student. "I'm ready to go win some games."
As USA Today reported, Sanders was seen in a video posted to YouTube by his son Deion Jr, telling players, "Those of you that we don't run off, we're going to try to make you quit."
He said, "That's what our season is going to look like. I want ones that don't want to quit, that want to be here, who want to work, who want to win," He said. "I don't want to get in the game and then find out I've got Jane, when all offseason I had Tarzan."
Sanders is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
He played in the NFL for 14 seasons, won two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, and has also played for several Major League Baseball teams.
"Deion Sanders, thank you for coming here. Let's go Buffs!" Morehouse added.
Sanders is expected to make a $5 million salary.
Sander's first game as Buffaloes head coach will take place on Sept. 2, 2023 at TCU. His first home game will take place on Sept. 9.
This story was originally published by KMGH in Denver, Colorado, with additional reporting from the Scripps National News team.
