Colorado’s Star Football Coach Deion Sanders Is Driving Millions in Merch Sales

Tori Latham
·2 min read
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Deion Sanders is making waves far beyond the football field.

With his outlandish style both on and off the turf, the University of Colorado coach is moving millions of dollars of merchandise, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Blenders, a sunglasses company that Coach Prime has collabed with on a pair of specs, sold a whopping $1.2 million in preorders as of Friday. And sales of university merchandise are up 819 percent compared with last season.

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“The Prime gear merchandise was definitely a hot seller and a big draw,” Allison Hartel, the assistant director for marketing and outreach at the school’s bookstore, told the newspaper. “I’ve never seen anything like this … I really do hope all the momentum continues.”

Sanders, who has led Colorado to an undefeated start to the season, has long been known for his fashion choices. As a pro player in the NFL, he was often seen in flashy tracksuits and with stacks of gold chains around his neck. His office at his former employer Jackson State University—and now the walls of Colorado’s football headquarters—sported signage saying, “IF YOU LOOK GOOD, YOU FEEL GOOD. IF YOU FEEL GOOD, YOU PLAY GOOD. IF YOU PLAY GOOD, THEY PAY GOOD.”

Now Coach Prime favors hoodies and his signature mirrored sunglasses, which retail for a mere $67. The entire Colorado football team has been gifted the eyewear, as have a number of sports broadcasters and even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. That visibility has clearly paid off, if Blenders’ recent profits are any indication.

“Over the weekend it was like a rocket to the moon,” Chase Fisher, the CEO of the company, told The Wall Street Journal. “Nothing could ever have prepared us for this.”

Unfortunately for Sanders fans, the two-toned Nike hoodies he wears on the sideline during games are custom made for the coach. And Colorado gear featured on the Nike website bearing Coach Prime’s catchphrases is sold out. While those pieces of merch are on the more affordable end of the spectrum, Sanders himself does lean toward luxury. During his first meeting with the Colorado team, he wasn’t shy when he told them, “I’m bringing my luggage with me … And it’s Louis.”

A little high-low mix seems to be Coach Prime’s M.O.

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