Colorado had different jersey numbers retirement criteria for Chedur Sanders’ Travis Hunter a few years ago.
Why did Jordan Palmer think Shedale Sanders was dropped in the draft?
Former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer shares his thoughts that Shedale Sanders fell into the fifth round of the NFL Draft.
Seriously sports
Long before the recent debate over the retirement of jersey numbers under the University of Colorado’s coach Deion Sanders, there were different standards as to when players were eligible to receive such honors.
He had to first graduate from university according to the standards of the 1990s.
But that doesn’t apply to Colorado’s two-way football star, Travis Hunter, Colorado quarterback Chedur Sanders, and Dion’s son. Both left on April 19th, but have not graduated yet, according to a spokesman for the athletics department.
The university said instead the decision to retire the player’s jersey number is at the discretion of the athletics department manager and the current head coach. That’s the policy, and I don’t think it’s a policy at all for former Colorado players.
“It’s acinin that they don’t have the process for an agency like Colorado to retire from numbers,” former Colorado linebacker Michael Jones told USA Today Sports. “It’s totally acinin.”
It is not clear when the standards have changed. University officials downplayed previous graduation standards, saying it was not a specific policy, but rather a “preferred by academic counselors at the time.”
However, the former Colorado player says the current lack of defined standards for repealing a player’s jersey number is a major reason for the rebound the university has received after he decided to retire the numbers of Hunter and Chedure Sanders within four months of his final match in CU uniforms. These former players said they felt that Hunter and Sanders’ decision to retire from jersey numbers was “premature” and “in a hurry” while overlooking the players from the team that won the 1990 national championships. In a Facebook post, Jones called it “a serious elimination of the soccer legacy.”
Incidentally, CUs have certain written qualification requirements for players to qualify for the Athletics Hall of Fame, despite having no more honor than abolishing their Jersey Numbers. To qualify for the CU Hall of Fame, players must be removed from competition in CU for at least 10 years and retired from professional sports, according to the nomination form. Winners will be voted by the committee.
The decision to retire from the Jersey Number “should be a policy,” former Colorado quarterback Daryan Hagan told USA Today Sports. “It should not be at the discretion of the athletic director and head coach. The head coach is coming. The head coach is going. The ads come, the ads go… We’ve put in place a policy. Where is that policy? We need to adhere to that policy.”
Darian Hagan has decided to “Flabbergasted”
Hagan was “surprised” by CU’s decision to retire from Hunter and Chedur Sanders numbers, but said it wasn’t because he thought those players were unhappy. He thought they deserved it.
“We were told there’s always a time to wait,” said Hagan, now a San Diego State running back coach. “There was a policy. I had to vote. I wasn’t told it was at the discretion of the athletic director or the head coach. That was shocking news for me.
After the university retired from Sanders (No. 2) and Hunter (No. 12), USA Today Sports continued to look into CU’s policy on resignation in Jersey numbers and get the perspective of Hagan, who has not been previously cited on the subject and is considered the most appropriate candidate by former CU players. He led Buffalo to the 1990 national championship, scoring a 28-5-2 start quarterback in three seasons, including a 20-0-1 record in the Big 8 Conference. He won three straight league titles with the Buffs in 1989, 1990 and 1991.
In contrast, the Shedeur Sanders set records for over 100 schools, but scored a 13-11 record in two seasons that did not include the final game they missed with injuries in 2023.
“13 and (11) are not rated. I don’t care about the number of records he set,” Jones said of Chedur’s victory record. “By that estimate, the biggest quarterback in CU history – sorry, it’s Darian Hagan.”
Former team captain Jones played with Hagan, who finished 11-1 for the 1989 Colorado team.
Previous processes included voting and graduation.
In May 1996, USA Today sports reporter Brent Schrotenboer wrote a column for Colorado Daily analysing Hagan’s Jersey No. 3 after Hagan graduated in 1996. This article cites graduation standards and the decision to retire a player’s jersey number was nominated for a player and then had to vote for the Athlete Committee.
This information came from Dave Praty, the then Director of Sports Information.
“I’m sure as soon as he gets that diploma, he will be nominated,” Praty said in a column published on May 17, 1996 on graduation day.
Hagan has never received honor. Before Shedeur Sanders and Hunter, CU retired in football with four jersey numbers and only one since 1970. At that time, CU retired from Rashaan Salaam’s jersey No. 19 in 2017, 23 years after winning the Heisman Trophy. Salaam also did not graduate, but passed away in 2016. CU retired from Byron White’s 24th issue, who previously retired in 1938, Joe Romig’s 67th place in 1963, and Bobby Anderson’s 11th place in 1970.
Plati recently stated that the fact that Salaam had not graduated from CU “had nothing to do with” not retiring his jersey number before he passed away. “It was never proposed at the time,” he said.
“I never had a policy to retire,” Praty said after his recent retirement with Jersey Number. “You’d imagine five people who retired before Rashaan (three football, two men’s basketball) was played at the discretion of the head coach. Anyone who really knows has been gone for a long time.”
Plati attributed his previous graduation criteria to a former athletic director who believed that “at the time he graduated, he was a great requirement for post-career honor,” as he was a great graduation.
“This is not Chedur’s hatred.”
Hagan said the policy requirements for this honor should include “absolutely” graduation. After playing his final season in CU as a senior in 1991, Hagan pursued a career in professional football and graduated in May 1996.
According to CU, Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy last year, applied for graduation in the fall of 2025. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second overall pick in the NFL Draft last week.
Shedeur said on her YouTube show in January that she would like to graduate at the end of the current semester in May. He was selected in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
His father and coach Deion Sanders attributed the backlash to the fact that his son was given honor.
“He said that Chedur has received all this hatred, because his last name is Sanders,” Jones said. “If his son’s last name wasn’t Sanders, that wouldn’t happen.”
Jones, now a Virginia Legislature elected representative, said he was not personal with Sanders, despite Jones’ son Jaron Jones, who previously played Dion Sanders quarterback in Jackson State and set out in 2021 after it was revealed that Chedur would soon be on a job.
“This is not a dislike of Chedur,” Michael Jones said. “I don’t care how many statistics you’ve got. It’s all a victory.”
Jones added that Deion Sanders did a “great job” in CU.
Hagan tried to call Rick George.
Deion Sanders, who was hired by CU in December 2022, suggested that the recent decision to retire from Jersey numbers was made by CU athletic director Rick George. Sanders questioned the need to wait, especially after the CU did not retire Salaam numbers until he died.
“I’m grateful that Rick shot him in the shot and moved the inevitable things that we all know,” Sanders said on April 17th. George issued a statement about the April 15th issue.
“Recognizing the achievements of the Heisman Trophy winners and record quarterbacks that have led this new era of CU football now does not undermine past achievements,” the statement said. “In fact, it adds to the rich heritage of CU football, which has been handed down by everyone who wears CU uniforms over the years.”
Hagan’s former teammate, former CU linebacker Chad Brown, said the recent decision to retire from numbers “will blind the greatness of the past,” especially the national championship team.
“Of those who represent that time and become my first choice, Darian Hagan was the number one man to retire his number,” Brown told USA Today Sports.
Hagan said his response to the CU decision was not personal.
“I just thought about the pride and traditions of Colorado buffalo,” Hagan said. “That’s what I thought. It seemed to be diminishing.”
Hagan said he tried to call George after learning of Jersey’s recent retirement, but was unable to connect with him. He wanted to tell him something.
“We just put history aside,” Hagan said he wanted to tell him. “We went here, we’re gone here and now, we won the national championship. It’s going to last forever.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com