Deion Sanders is the 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, "Sports Illustrated" announced Thursday. The head football coach at Colorado is featured on the cover of the latest issue of the magazine. Sanders is joined in the cover photo at Boulder's Folsom Field by outgoing CU chancellor Phil DiStefano, athletic director Rick George, 99-year-old CU superfan Peggy Coppom, as well as his children: social media creator Deion Jr., Buffs quarterback Shedeur, Buffs safety Shilo, and Colorado basketball player Shelomi. Sanders was introduced as Colorado's head coach on Dec. 3, 2022. In the 12 months since, "Sports Illustrated" said he's breathed fresh life into CU Boulder while transforming the country's worst football program. Colorado finished the 2023 season with a 4-8 record, an improvement from its 1-11 record the season before. CU sold out every home game at Folsom Field for the first time in school history. September sales at the school’s online team store were up 2,544% over the same month in 2022, said "Sports Illustrated." Off the field, first-year applications at the University of Colorado are up 26.4% year over year; Black or African American applications are up 80.6%; nonresident applications are up 29.8%; and international applications are up 38.4% from 97 countries, "Sports Illustrated" reported. Read more: https://www.9news.com/article/sports/ncaa/colorado-buffaloes/sportsperson-of-the-year-deion-sanders/73-e0c88c6d-c558-47ae-b18d-7b5673567649 More local videos here: https://bit.ly/2Pa0d1l Subscribe to NEXT: http://bit.ly/2eP1GwI Stay connected: 9NEWS Website: http://www.9news.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilike9news Twitter: https://twitter.com/9NEWS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9newsdenver/ Download the 9NEWS App: https://www.9news.com/appredirect/ Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER: https://www.9news.com/email 9NEWS (KUSA) is located in Denver, Colorado.