Colorado legend Kordell “Slash” Stewart recently joined Rep 1 Exposure's podcast The Exposure Room and didn’t hesitate when asked about Deion Sanders’ impact on the Colorado Buffaloes.
“Prime had social media…it exploded like somebody truly dropped a bomb somewhere,” Stewart said.
For Stewart, the transformation under Sanders was immediate, but not accidental. The foundation was already there. It just needed the right figure to bring it back to life. He shared a story about a phone call from Coach Prime asking about what it would take to build back what was so special in the 1990s.
“Is it built for someone to come in? The bones and the structure of what was already in place just needed someone like him to galvanize the community and the Buff fan,” Stewart said.
That connection to Colorado goes back to Stewart’s own path to Boulder, one that wasn’t always on the radar.
“I had nothing from Colorado,” Stewart said of his recruitment. “Colorado came out of nowhere…and [it was like] hey, I’m going to Colorado, man. And the rest was history.”
Stewart was part of Colorado’s rise in the 1990s and understands what the program looks like when it’s operating at a high level. From his view, Sanders didn’t create something new as much as he reawakened something that had been dormant.
“We had tradition. We had Butkus Award winners. We had all the award winners that you can think of,” Stewart said. “We had a Heisman Trophy winner…we weren't lacking.”
What changed was the energy and visibility surrounding the program, something Stewart pointed directly to when describing Sanders’ presence.
“He comes in with his aura and the things that he’s accomplished...along with Travis…to Shedeur and Shilo and Cam and all the boys that he had,” Stewart said. “It flipped overnight.”
That energy translated quickly to results.
“That right there gave us three to four wins right out the gate,” Stewart said.
But Stewart made it clear the impact went beyond wins and losses. The shift reached the broader program and community, restoring attention and pride around Colorado football.
“What he did was he helped us with not just football but just the community and relevance to how beautiful that place is,” Stewart said.
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