LAS VEGAS – With a mini-entourage in tow and cameras following his every step, Dean Sanders‘arrival for your first The 12 Big Media Days appearance matched Coach Prime’s image.
He sat on stage inside Allegiant Stadium on Wednesday morning with sunglasses, a gold whistle around his neck and a white Colorado sweatshirt peeking out from the top of his black suit.
Although Tuesday was filled with questions about Sanders from other coaches, he returned the favor with some shout-outs to some 12 great coaches he knows, from Gus Malzahn of Central Florida, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Joey McGuire of Texas Tech.
“Much love to Gus, UCF Coach Malzahn,” Sanders said. “I’m just highlighting a few coaches because they were very kind, very attentive and wonderful to me.
“Coach Gundy is a legend. So being at the Big 12 meetings and having the opportunity to meet a plethora of these coaches who just welcomed me with open arms, they were phenomenal.”
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Sanders’ presence, however, surpassed that of any other coach — even the longest-tenured coach in terms of years in the league with Gundy, who is entering his 20th season and consistently draws crowds because of his unique personality.
But Sanders attracts attention like a magnet.
He walked across the lawn of Allegiant Stadium going from interview to interview with various media stations. And as he moved, members of the media followed, some taking photos or videos, others just watching a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame walk by.
Is he the face of the new Big 12?
Maybe not yet, considering he hasn’t coached a single game in the league yet.
“He’s got Taco Bell, Aflac — he’s got so many other things going on,” Gundy joked in reference to Sanders’ endorsement deals.
But Sanders is clearly a draw.
“First of all, I’m a big fan of Deion,” said Malzahn, who while at Auburn recruited Sanders’ son Shedeur. “It goes back to his playing days and everything. I think the exposure he is giving to our conference is excellent. He does things his way. But I think he brings a lot to our conference.”
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Sanders will draw attention to the Big 12. Not always positive, given its polarizing nature. But always valuable.
After Sanders’ press conference on the main stage, he walked toward the ESPNU set for another interview and crossed paths with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark. The two smiled, clapped and chatted briefly before heading off in opposite directions.
Sanders certainly fits the idea of how Yormark wants to attract additional fans, and Sanders recognizes Yormark’s ability to make such connections.
“I think we have the best commissioner in football,” Sanders said. “He is unbelievable. He is absolutely a legend. He’s a player, a pitcher, a boss and I love him.”
Whether you love Sanders, hate him, or somewhere in between, Wednesday’s event proved to be the one thing anyone who paid attention to him should know.
He acts differently and is seen differently. But he’s not changing.
“I’m judged on a different scale,” he said. “My victories are totally different from your victories. Your victories, you just judge football. I can’t win nine games and our GPA suffers. Our GPA can’t be high and we lose eight more games.
“We have to win in all areas. This is how we are judged. I’m fine with that. Because we come at it a little differently. So the expectation is greater. But it’s not just football. It’s been like this my whole life. I always had higher expectations for myself. The expectations you have for me would never exceed the expectations I have for myself.”
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This article originally appeared in the Oklahoman: Deion Sanders Praises Mike Gundy at Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas
