According to records obtained, the University of Colorado awarded a discretionary bonus of $250,000 to football coach Deion Sanders late last year. This bonus was given in recognition of the national attention the university garnered during Sanders’ first year in the role.
The bonus had not been publicly disclosed until now and was notable for a couple of reasons:
- It was not tied to any specific condition or milestone in Sanders’ employment contract, essentially making it an unexpected gift. This is in addition to the $5.5 million he earned in his first season at Colorado.
- The bonus was awarded despite the Buffaloes ending their season with a six-game losing streak, resulting in a 4-8 overall record.
Sanders is to receive an Employee Recognition Bonus for the national attention he has brought to the University and Athletics Department this season,” reads the pay form signed by CU officials in early December.
It’s uncommon, if not unheard of, for major college football coaches to receive substantial bonuses that aren’t specified in their contracts, especially after losing eight of their final nine games of the season. However, the university could argue that the 56-year-old Sanders earned this recognition.
Why Deion Sanders received this bonus
In this instance, the employee recognition bonus he received was attributed to the national attention he attracted to the university, leveraging his fame as the flamboyant former two-sport star in professional football and baseball.
The employee recognition bonus is a discretionary award granted by Athletic Director Rick George in acknowledgement of the significant influence Coach Prime has had on the football program, the Athletic Department, and the university during his inaugural season,” the university stated in a recent statement to Sports.
For instance, during Sanders’ first season from July 31 to November 27, the university achieved approximately $343 million in “earned media” value, based on data from Cision, its media-monitoring service. In comparison, the university garnered about $87 million in the same timeframe in 2022, before Sanders arrived in Boulder when the Buffaloes ended the season with a 1-11 record.
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This figure does not represent actual cash revenue but rather the estimated advertising value of the media exposure received during the football season. According to the university, the Buffs had five of the top 25 most-watched games in college football, including those in the College Football Playoff.
This exposure has had lasting effects. CU Boulder has reported a record number of applicants for the fall 2024 semester, along with a 50.5% increase in Black applicants.
More context on Coach Prime’s bonus pay
The bonus pay form was signed and authorized by then-CU Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano on December 1, the day after Sports Illustrated named Sanders its “Sportsperson of the Year” for his role in revitalizing the CU football program. The magazine’s print edition featured Sanders, DiStefano, George, and other CU representatives in a cover photograph.
The discretionary bonus amount surpasses several performance-based incentives outlined in his contract that he did not achieve during his first season. These incentives include $150,000 for achieving six wins and $200,000 for receiving an invitation to a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Last season, Sanders was the fourth highest-paid public-school coach in the Pac-12 with a guaranteed salary of $5.5 million, trailing Oregon’s Dan Lanning, who topped the list with $6.6 million, according to the Sports Coaches’ pay database.