Cornerback, San
Francisco 49ers
Age: 27
6th
season in pro football, 1st with 49ers
College: Florida
State
Height: 6’1” Weight: 185
Prelude:
The brash and
flamboyant Sanders was a two-time All-American in college, where he also excelled
in baseball and track. He was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) by the
Atlanta Falcons in 1989 and was with them for five seasons. “Neon Deion” made
an immediate impression both at cornerback, where he intercepted five passes,
and as a kick returner, scoring a touchdown on his first pro punt return. He
was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first of four straight seasons in 1991 and
was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection in ’92 for the first of three
consecutive years. He also split his time playing major league baseball with
the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves and led the NL in triples with 14 in 97
games in 1992. In the NFL, he was tremendous at coverage if not tackling and a
fine kick returner who led the league in kickoff return yards (1067) in ’92.
Through the 1993 season, he had intercepted 24 passes, with a high of 7 in ’93,
and scored three TDs on INT returns and had also scored touchdowns on two punt
returns and three kickoff returns. Sanders was occasionally used as a wide receiver
on offense, with 11 catches for 160 yards and two TDs. Sanders left the Falcons
as a free agent following the 1993 season and signed a one-year contract with
the 49ers for ’94.
1994 Season Summary
Appeared in 14
of 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Interceptions
– 6 [8, tied with Greg Jackson]
Most
interceptions, game – 1 on six occasions
Int. return
yards – 303 [1]
Most int.
return yards, game – 93 (on 1 int.) at Atlanta 10/16
Int. TDs – 3 [1,
tied with Ray Buchanan]
Sacks – 0
Sacks – 0
Fumble
recoveries – 1
Forced fumbles
– 0
Tackles – 34
Assists – 2
Scoring
TDs – 3
Points – 18
Postseason: 3
G
Interceptions
– 2
Int. return
yards – 15
TDs – 0
Kickoff
Returns – 1
Kickoff
Return Yards – 25
TDs – 0
Awards &
Honors:
NFL Defensive
Player of the Year: AP
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st
team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
49ers went 13-3
to finish first in the NFC West with the top seed in the conference while tying
for the NFL lead in interceptions (23). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Chicago
Bears (44-15), NFC Championship over Dallas Cowboys (38-28), and Super Bowl
over San Diego Chargers (49-26).
Aftermath:
Sanders moved
on to the Dallas Cowboys in 1995, where he debuted late due to arthroscopic
surgery, but contributed to a NFL title. He played with Dallas for another four
seasons and was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection three more times and a
Pro Bowl choice in all four. After playing baseball for the Cincinnati Reds and
San Francisco Giants in 1994 and ’95, he took the 1996 major league season off
(he would return to baseball sporadically) and concentrated on doubling as a
wide receiver for the Cowboys on offense, resulting in 36 catches for 475 yards
and a TD. But it was at cornerback and kick returning where Sanders continued
to excel – he picked off a total of 14 passes with Dallas, two of which were
returned for TDs, and he also led the NFL with a 15.6 punt return average in
1998. Sanders played one year with Washington in 2000 before retiring, although
he returned for two years with the Ravens in 2004 and ’05. Overall, Sanders
intercepted 53 passes that were returned for 1331 yards and 9 touchdowns, and
he averaged 10.4 yards on 212 punt returns with 6 TDs and 22.7 yards on 155
kickoff returns with three scores. He was a consensus All-NFL choice six times,
received at least some consideration in three other seasons, and was a Pro Bowl
selection 8 times. The player known as “Prime Time” could be a polarizing
figure with fans and other players, but his talent was undeniable. Sanders was
inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2011.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself). Also includes Associated Press NFL Offensive and Defensive Players of
the Year.
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