Atlanta pro sports icon Deion Sanders details how he became ‘cancer-free’

Former Atlanta sports icon Deion “Prime Time” Sanders declared himself “cancer-free” a year after undergoing surgery, The Associated Press reported.

Sanders, 58, said he underwent robotic surgery that reconstructed his bladder with part of his intestine.

“I was fighting” at this time last year, said Sanders, who has been the head coach of Colorado’s college football program since Dec. 3, 2022.

“I was walking out on the property with a bag of blood and also urine trying to get back. But this expedited the process. Last year at this time, I was in a whole different place, and I’m just thankful.”

Sanders ended up missing football camps in Boulder while going through cancer treatments last summer. The Buffaloes were 3-9 with Sanders on the sideline last season.

Many Atlanta fans remember the magic Sanders created as a superstar with the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves early in his professional career.

Sanders remains the only athlete to play in both a World Series and a Super Bowl.

He played in the 1992 World Series, batting .533 (8-for-15) in the Braves’ 4-2 series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Sanders played in two Super Bowls, winning with the San Francisco 49ers in 1995 and the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.

He played the first five of his 14 NFL seasons with the Falcons after Atlanta selected him fifth overall in the 1989 NFL draft.

Sanders, who was inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor in 2010, is remembered as one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

He played nine MLB seasons, including four with the Braves (1991-1994) after Atlanta signed him as a free agent upon his release from the New York Yankees in September 1990.

Notably, he attempted to play for the Falcons and Braves on the same day in 1992.

He returned two kicks and a punt while also playing defense for the Falcons in a 1 p.m. game before catching a flight and helicopter to Pittsburgh to suit up for the Braves in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. (He did not enter the game.)

“This is really who I am, and I’m thankful to have a part in (Atlanta),” Sanders said in a documentary. “Everybody who knows me know I never once wanted to leave this city, never.

“That red and black is real for me. It’s home. Because there’s nothing that can compare to playing two sports in Atlanta. I’d rather be a wonderful original than a cheap copy.”

Sanders said he remembered touring the city during his senior season at Florida State and being impressed during hospital visits and community service work.

“That was the first time I saw prominent African Americans playing a vital role in the structure of the city,” Sanders said. “I had never seen African American doctors and lawyers and political figures.

“And I chose right then, I said I want to come to Atlanta.”

Sanders’ impact on the Falcons was significant, as he had 24 interceptions over five seasons, including seven in 1993. He scored at least one touchdown every season he played for the Falcons, five on special teams returns, two as a receiver and three on interception returns.

Here’s a look at select statistics from his time with the Falcons and Braves:

Atlanta Falcons

INTERCEPTIONS

1989—5, 52 return yards

1990—3, 153 return yards, 2 TD

1991—6, 119 return yards, 1 TD

1992—3, 105 return yards

1993—7, 91 return yards

PUNT RETURNS

1989—28 for 307 yards, 1 TD

1990—29 for 250 yards, 1 TD

1991—21 for 170 yards