Coach Prime celebrates wins with UCHealth patients on roads to recovery
Fellow fighters and fans swap stories about injuries and football with Buffs coach
Longmont, Colo. (April 25, 2024) - Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, the electrifying head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes, traded the football field for the frontline of rehabilitation on Wednesday.
Coach Prime, who has dealt with injuries both on and off the field, connected with nine patients as they worked with their physical and occupational therapists at UCHealth Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Clinic - Longs Peak Medical Center in Longmont.
The visit was more than just a pep talk. It was a powerful connection among fighters. Sanders shared words of inspiration and his own experiences and exchanged fist bumps and accolades to celebrate everyone’s wins.
“When I come to a hospital like this and I’m seeing some of the patients that are rehabbing and getting themselves back together that have been hit with some type of adversity and you still see the smile and the love and passion inside of them,” Coach Prime said after the visit. “And then you see the assistants and the associates that are helping them get their form back. It’s a beautiful thing. I love the unity in that.”
Patients who receive care at this UCHealth clinic are recovering from various illnesses and injuries, from strokes and breast cancer to knee replacements and sports injuries. Some of them come in for treatment on a weekly basis. Others come in more often.
Jon Burianek, 78, just completed an evidence-based treatment program at the clinic to improve mobility and slow the progress of Parkinson’s disease. He said the treatment has made a difference and he will continue to do the exercise routine he learned at home six days a week along with weight training. Getting a chance to meet Coach Prime was especially meaningful for Burianek because he worked for the CU Athletic Department for 38 years, starting out with the ticket office and working his way up to senior associate director.
“When he talks, he’s always so positive. We needed that for the program. We need that as a society,” Burianek said. “He finds the good in everybody.”
Peter Stucchi, the supervisor of rehab services, said Coach Prime was able to relate with all of the patients, from the young athlete working her way back to the volleyball court to the man who is coming back from his second knee replacement.
“When something like this – a positive stressor – comes along, it’s wonderful on a patient’s nervous system to calm it down. So truly, the distraction of something exciting like the coach coming in to talk to us is amazing.”
Sanders’ visit comes just days ahead of Colorado’s spring football game – also known as Black and Gold Day, at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado. Saturday’s spring game will be Sanders’ second as the coach of the Buffaloes.
