Forgive Colorado defensive back Carter Stoutmire for not remembering the first time he met Deion Sanders.
Stoutmire was, after all, a newborn at the time.
“We just got a whole lot of history,” said Stoutmire, whose father, Omar, played with Sanders in the NFL, “so it’s hard to remember the first genuine time I really met him.”
It’s that lifelong relationship that created a range of emotions for Stoutmire this summer as Sanders, now the third-year head coach of the Buffaloes, battled bladder cancer.
“It hit different for me, just because that’s, like, family to me,” Stoutmire said Wednesday after the Buffs’ second practice of preseason camp. “So it was like real, genuine concerns. That’s like an uncle to me, so it was a whole lot of concern.”
On Monday, Sanders revealed his battle with cancer during a press conference. Although the players and coaches knew Sanders was going through a health issue this spring and summer, very few people knew it was cancer, or the severity of his struggle.
Sanders had surgery to remove his bladder and have a new one created. According to Sanders and Dr. Janet Kukreja, the director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center/UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, the coach is now cancer free.
“Very lucky to have found it at this stage where … I could say the word ‘cure,’ because I don’t use that word lightly as a cancer doctor,” Dr. Kukreja said Monday.
For Sanders, his players and his fellow assistants, it was a relief to find out he is cancer free, and it was a boost to the Buffs when Sanders returned to Boulder last weekend after recovering at his Canton, Texas, home since May.
“Oh, it’s great,” defensive coordinator Robert Livingston said of having Sanders back on campus.
Livingston said the first thing Sanders wanted was an update on Livingston’s family.
“It’s just a testament to me that obviously his leadership is one of one,” Livingston said. “He’s the pied piper. The world will follow him if they just listen to him. So, we’re blessed.”
During his press conference on Monday, Sanders said several times he hopes that his story can lead to others to take a closer look at their own health and to get tested for health issues so they can be detected early.
Livingston said he was “scared” when he initially found out Sanders had battled cancer.
“I think you’ve got to look around and say, ‘If it can happen to him, then it can happen to anybody,’” Livingston said. “So it just puts things in perspective. I think too often in this profession, we worry about what happens inside these walls more than we worry about what happens outside: being a husband and being a father and taking care of yourself.
“It’s eye-opening for sure and God bless him for going through it. He’s obviously phenomenally strong.”
While Sanders was not in Boulder throughout the summer, he was involved with the football operations at CU, while relying on a veteran staff that kept things moving for the Buffs on campus.
“You’ve got grown men that know they have a job to do, and you should do it to the best of your ability,” Livingston said. “When you’re a phenomenal leader as Coach Prime is, you establish a culture, a situation where people just go to work, and that’s what it was. It was a joy to see.”
It was also a joy to the Buffs to see Sanders back in the building, but it didn’t take long for the focus to turn to the work ahead.
“That first staff meeting went about like we thought it would: ‘Hey, we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do that,’” Livingston said.
Although there was concern for Sanders throughout the summer, those within the program felt confident he’d be back to his old self when he returned.
“I knew God got him at the end of day,” Stoutmire said. “He’s been through so much in his past, stuff like this. So whatever hardships, trials he goes to, he always makes it through. So just seeing him back was a breath of fresh air for the whole team.”
Cornerback DJ McKinney added, “Honestly, just having Coach Prime’s presence back in the building, it’s an amazing feeling.”
Of course, Sanders returned with his usual swagger.
“Oh yeah,” Stoutmire said with a smile. “Ain’t no question about that.”
