Deion Sanders wins Sportsperson of the Year award from Sports Illustrated for starting turnaround at Colorado

DENVER (AP) — Deion Sanders reinvigorated a fanbase and put a downtrodden football program back on the map in his first season at Colorado.

For that, the Buffaloes coach was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated. It was a roller-coaster inaugural year as Sanders took over a 1-11 Colorado team. But it was an entertaining ride, complete with sellouts, celebrities showing up on the sideline, media visits from major networks and of course progress on the field. The Buffaloes sprinted out of the gate, going 3-0 and becoming the talk of college football. They finished by losing eight of their last nine to wind up 4-8.