Dallas City News

We are at day 21 of our 99 day countdown until the regular season. Here is your daily fact associated with number 21.

Dallas has no shortage of athletic giants in the team’s history. One player could be regarded as the greatest athletic talent to play for Dallas, and that player wore 21, Deion Sanders.

Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr, or also known as Prime Time, was born August 9, 1967 and was the fifth-pick in the 1989 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the New York Yankees to play in MLB and played in both the Super Bowl and World Series, but we will focus purely on his football career.

After five seasons playing at Atlanta, Sanders moved to San Francisco and played one season for the 49ers. He would be voted the 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and in Super Bowl XXIX he would make an end zone interception in the fourth quarter and help the 49ers win its last Lombardi trophy.

Sanders’ story in Dallas begins in 1995 when Jerry Jones signed him to a deal that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. He made his debut with the Cowboys in Week 9, facing off against his previous team, the Atlanta Falcons. Similar to the previous year with the 49ers, Sanders played a pivotal role in securing a Lombardi trophy in Super Bowl XXIX, where the Cowboys triumphed over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The following season, Sanders achieved a remarkable feat by playing both wide receiver and defensive back, becoming the first NFL player to do so in nearly forty years. Throughout that season, he recorded 36 receptions for 475 yards.

Photo by Allen Kee/Getty Images

As a return specialist, Sanders showcased his electrifying abilities with numerous highlights featuring his signature high-step into the end zone following punt returns, establishing him as a formidable threat on special teams. However, he was predominantly recognized as a “shutdown corner” throughout his career. He earned first-team All-Pro honors nine times as a cornerback and was selected to eight Pro Bowls.

Upon retirement, Sanders ranked second all-time in interception return yardage with 1,331 yards and was tied for second for the most career interceptions returned for touchdowns with nine. He also remains ninth in the all-time rankings for punt returns for touchdowns, with six. Notably, Sanders is one of only two players to score an NFL touchdown in six different ways: interception return, punt return, kickoff return, receiving, rushing, and fumble recovery. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images