Less than a day after a procedure to deal with blood clots in his leg, Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders was back on the practice field Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, Sanders had an aspiration thrombectomy in the left popliteal and tibial arteries to remove blood clots. He returned to the Buffaloes on Wednesday as they prepare to face No. 22 Iowa State at Folsom Field on Saturday (1:30 p.m., ESPN).
Sanders complained of pain in his foot at his weekly press conference on Sept. 30 and was in pain throughout the Buffs’ 35-21 loss at TCU on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas, even taking the shoe off of his left foot for a period of the game.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Sanders said the issue he’s been dealing with is hereditary and not caused by his work habits or any other circumstances.
The 58-year-old Sanders is in his third season as CU’s head coach and in the first year of a new five-year, $54 million contract signed in April.
Sanders, who is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has battled serious health issues for the past several years, including a bout with bladder cancer this year. Tuesday’s procedure his was 16th surgery in the past four years.
While the head coach at Jackson State in 2021, he had multiple surgeries, including having two toes amputated on his left foot. In the summer of 2023, prior to his first season at CU, Sanders had two surgeries to fix blood clots, which improved his mobility.
Then, in April he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He had surgery in May to remove his bladder and the cancerous tumor and have a new bladder created with his small intestine.
Stewart headed to Hall of Fame
Former CU quarterback Kordell Stewart will be induced into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame on April 16 in Denver.
One of the best quarterbacks in CU history, Stewart was a three-year starter (1992-94) with the Buffs, going 27-5-1 overall (16-2-1 in Big Eight games).
He left CU as the program’s all-time leading passer with 7,027 yards (now fifth) and all-time leader in touchdown passes, with 36 (now tied for eighth). He was a second-team All-American as a senior in 1994.
“It’s awesome and really gratifying that the work I’ve put in will be recognized,” Stewart said in a press release from CU. “Joining my coach, Bill McCartney, and teammate, Rashaan Salaam, in the Hall is important to me.”
McCartney was inducted in 2013 and Salaam in 2018.
Stewart was a second round choice in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 11 years in the NFL with the Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears.
Miller settling in
Sophomore receiver Dre’Lon Miller began running the ball out of the backfield on Sept. 27 against BYU and then shifted to a running back role last week.
The new role is one that Sanders said he loves.
“I didn’t like it. I loved it,” he said. “I think it was the best thing for our team, the best things for he and his career, the best thing for us totally. We’re getting a lot of productivity out of the running back position, and he’s leading that charge. So I’m proud of him.”
Miller was off to a slow start as a receiver, but rushed eight times for 52 yards and a touchdown against BYU. He carried the ball seven times at TCU, but was limited to 14 yards.
“Dre’s a football player,” running back Dallan Hayden said. “You ask Dre to do anything and he’ll do it and execute it. So he’s been tremendous to our room.”