Deion Sanders spent but five of his 12 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, but he sure helped make things fun around the metroplex while earning a Super Bowl ring, four Pro Bowl nods and styling on and off the field like no player before him.
It’s hard to believe he’s turning 50 today, given how youthful he still seems on the NFL Network and CBS Sports sets during football season.
After five seasons spent with the Falcons and one Super Bowl season with the 49ers, Sanders signed with the Cowboys in '95, and while his first season with Dallas was delayed as he recovered from surgery, "Primetime" didn't waste time making things happen.
Some consider Sanders the greatest cover corner in NFL history, and he was quite a return man as well.
He was, in fact, a magnet for the ball.
While playing for the Cowboys, he had four of his six career punt returns for touchdowns, two of his nine career interception returns for touchdowns, and four of his 13 career fumbles returned for touchdowns. Sanders also was a part-time wide receiver, and had by far his most effective season on the flanks in ‘96, when he caught 36 passes for 475 yards and a touchdown while playing cornerback full-time.
The eight-time Pro Bowler was released in a salary camp move before the 2000 season.
Sanders went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 after playing in 2000 with the Redskins, retiring for three years, and then playing two more seasons with the Ravens. He also played Major League Baseball with the Yankees, Braves, Reds, Giants and Reds again. Sanders, an outfielder, had a .263 career average with 39 home runs and 186 stolen bases.
Primetime’s big birthday is being noted by many around the NFL and beyond.
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